


Devil's Wonderland

by Noizchild



Series: Wasteland 2011 [25]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Abuse, Apocalypse, Cannibalism, Character Death, Deception, Demon, Drugs, Emotional Manipulation, Hunt, Manipulation, Multi, Murder, Revenge, angel - Freeform, tadpoles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2020-08-11 22:02:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 27
Words: 75,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20160802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noizchild/pseuds/Noizchild
Summary: Vol. 8 is up. The hunt for the final gate is on. A group of rogue tadpoles kills former Chou Mori staff members out of revenge. The Angel Project starts to expand. The tadpoles evolve even more. More people start to have visions from past loops. Tandeki is advancing in their game. More demons and ghosts appear. All while the game gets more brutal and the Apocalypse comes closer.





	1. Game

Devil's Wonderland

Halo Zero: Game:

The following is a record of events leading up to the final gate opening. The first three days would set the stage to the next round of the Apocalypse Game.

* * *

-Friday Night-

"I'm sorry, brother," the amanojaku said in the sky. His brother glanced over at him.

"It's fine," the other demon said. "We'll get him next time."

"But you lost your vessel," his older brother said.

"I know," the younger demon said. "There are still plenty of vessels walking around down there." He gestured to the city below. "Just as long as we don't run into that creature again." The amanojaku looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?" he asked. His brother frowned.

"That girl who licked up the blood from the ground," he said. He shivered as he replayed the events in his head. "What the hell was that? I have never seen anything like her. She gives me the creeps."

"Are you serious?" the amanojaku asked. "You do know we are demons, right?"

"I know that," his brother said. "But what is she?" The older demon didn't want to admit it, but his brother did have a point.

* * *

The scene on the roof started breaking down. Masaomi was about to run over to Chiharu when Seiji made things worse.

"He called you a tadpole," he said to Mikado. "What does that mean?" The tadpole started to panic. All eyes fell on him. Mikado looked ready to run away. _No… Don't look at me like that. I'm not a monster. Please… Don't…_

While, Satoshi stood off to the side, smirking.

"And so it begins," he muttered to himself. "What are you going to do now, Chirin?"

Masaomi didn't know whether to tend to his best friend or Chiharu first. He looked between the two friends.

"Wait… Mikado… are you a tadpole?" Walker asked. The founder of the Dollars tried to calm and think out to get out of this. He gulped and dropped his shoulders.

"Yes," he said, defeated. Masaomi looked at him, wide-eyed. Nobody said a word. Well, it was out now.

[I don't think that we should be staying here,] Celty finally said with her shadows. [We should get off of the roof and continue this later.] Relief washed over Mikado.

"Yes!" Masaomi agreed. Oddly enough, not one seemed to question it.

"What about her?" Kadota asked, nodding his head over at Chiharu. The smile on her face was creeping everyone out.

"We'll take her home," Masaomi said. He and Anri walked over to the strung-out girl. Picking Chiharu up was like picking up a sack of iron. The whole time, she had an empty look in her eyes. Mikado said nothing as he followed behind with Noriko. No one else said anything as they left the roof. Just as she made it to the door, Michiko turned behind her and looked at the sky.

"Something wrong?" Shingen asked.

"No," she lied. The girl turned and walked ahead of him. Michiko couldn't tell them the truth. Not just yet anyway.

* * *

Around two in the morning, Mikado and Masaomi made it back to Chiharu's apartment. The tadpole had the girl on his shoulder.

"That's not hurting your shoulder at all?" Masaomi asked.

"No," his friend said. "She's pretty light, actually." The leader of the Yellow Scarves gave him a strange look.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yeah," Mikado said. Earlier, Masaomi and Anri thought their shoulders would break under the weight of Chiharu's dazed body. It didn't help that she was moaning the whole time here.

"Must be nice," Masaomi mumbled to himself.

"Not really," Mikado said. The boys looked up when the door opened. Tatsuya stood in front of them, rubbing him eyes and grumbling.

"What?" he asked. The man looked and saw Chiharu on Mikado's shoulder. "What the hell is going on?" Mikado and Masaomi looked at each other.

"Listen to us, Hashimoto-san," Mikado said. "Something bad has happened to Hashimoto. Really bad."

"What is going on here?" Tatsuya asked. "What happened to my sister?"

"It's a long story," Masaomi said. "Just let us in."

"Okay, okay," Tatsuya said. "Come in." The boys walked in with Chiharu.

* * *

Celty had been uneasy since she and Shinra got home. She tried to piece together everything that happened tonight. If Seiji could be a target of demon possession, who could be next? Plus, what about the one that tried to kill Mikado? More demons could go after him and the other tadpoles. If Celty was near them when or if a demon decided to attack, they couldn't defend themselves. It was lucky that Anri said something just in time. Next time, though…

"Are you okay?" Shinra asked. She didn't answer.

There were the strange people that Celty encountered while on her jobs. That woman with her baby. The man with the fox ears who disemboweled himself. Plus, that woman in front of my apartment. They just appeared to her and then left just as suddenly. Who were they? Why did they come to her? What did they want?

Another thought crossed her mind about the packages she kept picking up. Four weeks have gone by and no one has contacted her to claim them. She had even looked inside the duffle bags either. Sure she was getting paid rather handsomely, but still…

"Celty. Celty!" Shinra yelled. His girlfriend looked up to see him staring at her.

[Oh,] Celty typed. She started to type more on her PDA but froze.

"Celty?" the doctor asked.

[Actually, Shinra,] the dullahan typed. [There is something I have to tell you.]

"What?" the doctor asked. She hesitated at first and then started typing again.

[There is something that I have to show you,] Celty typed. The doctor gave her a strange look.

"What would that be?" he asked. She led him over to the closet. The dullahan didn't need to see the look on Shinra's face to tell that he wasn't enjoying where this was heading. She opened the door. The doctor looked down on the floor at the two packages sitting there untouched.

"Are these…?" he began to ask.

[Yes,] she typed. Shinra knelt down for a look.

"Your client still hasn't come to collect the goods?" he asked.

[No,] Celty wrote.

"What's in the bags?" her boyfriend asked.

[I don't know,] she wrote. Shinra shrugged and unzipped the first bag.

[No, don't!] his girlfriend said with her shadows. She spoke too late. All of the color drained from Shinra's face.

"No…" he murmured. The doctor got up and bolted out of the apartment.

[Shinra!] Celty's shadows shouted. The dullahan ran after her boyfriend.

"We have to tell my dad!" Shinra yelled. "Things have just gotten worse. Grab the bags with you!"

[Shinra, wait!] her shadows yelled. Celty had no choice and grabbed the bags. They met up at Shooter and sped away.

* * *

Kitano sat in the in his office in the darkness. His group had a new task on their hands. Six gates to the Apocalypse had been opened. It was amazing that actually came this far this time. But it wasn't enough.

Yui and Yuzuru couldn't find the final gate. So many dolls had been destroyed and still nothing. What were they missing? What were they not doing right? Kitano told the members of Tandeki that finding the seventh gate was the top priority for now. They could all still work on their projects in the meantime.

Speaking of which, Tadpole and Angel were going great. Now that she got F back, Junko could really kick her work into high gear. She had plans to turn more normals into angels. Kitano already saw her list the day before.

"Just be careful how you carry this out," he warned her.

"Yes sir," Junko replied. Project Heaven was developing well. They were getting a new shipment in the morning. Excellent. And Project Tadpole's progress?

Suddenly, Kitano heard his phone buzzing from desk drawer.

The therapist opened the top drawer and reached inside. A new text, huh? It was from Etsuko this time. Either this had to be good news or bad news. Kitano opened the message.

"Come check the Heartseed," she wrote. The therapist smiled to himself. He got up and walked across the room. Kitano pushed in the access code and walked inside. And sure enough, the Heartseed started to glow a light green. The glass around it seemed to vibrate. Kitano felt a childlike need to touch it. He was quick to snap himself out of it.

Which drug is that again?

Kitano pulled out his leather notebook from his notebook and looked through the pages.

"Let's see," he said. "What is it? What is it?" His finger went down the page. After a little more searching, Kitano found the right drug.

"Oh yes," he said. "Nio." He remembered it well. Each test subject was given the giant green liquid capsules over a course of five days. It took some force of getting the patients to swallow them for it work right. But now, this should be interesting to see how this all turned out.

"Ah, this should be interesting," Kitano said to himself.

* * *

Mikado sat in front of his computer, frowning. He hadn't been to sleep since he got home. The tadpole lay in his futon wide awake. No matter how hard he tried, he could not go back to sleep.

_Can't sleep either?_

Mikado closed his eyes in his futon. _No._

_It's happening again._

_I know. Are you alone tonight, Naomi-san?_

_Not really. We all are awake._

Mikado frowned. _I see. What do we do now?_

_I don't know. Keep up with these changes._

_What's the matter?_

_Hm?_

_You seem upset about something._ Mikado heard silence for a good few seconds. _Naomi-san?_

_I had a vision last night._ Naomi hesitated. _Ikebukuro will burn!_

Mikado sat up in his futon. He too could feel the same foreboding that his tadpole sister could feel. _What can we do?_

_Survive. Survive until we find a way to fight back._ Her words did little to put him at ease.

* * *

-Saturday-

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again!" Mika shouted as she hugged Seiji's neck. Her boyfriend said nothing. She looked up at him with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Seiji-kun," Mika said. Seiji glanced down at her.

"Hm?" he asked.

"What do you remember after I told you about Namie?" she asked. Her boyfriend shook his head.

"I don't remember anything," Seiji said. She rested her head on his chest.

"It's probably for the best," Mika said. The color drained from Seiji's face. He could remember what happened to him over the past few weeks. The boy confused boy hadn't noticed that he was tremble. His girlfriend frowned.

"Are you okay, Seiji-kun?" Mika asked. Seiji quickly looked down and shook his head.

"Nothing," he lied. The boy looked into her eyes as she stared at him.

"What?" Seiji asked. She hugged him as tightly as she could.

"I have been trying to protect you from everything going on," Mika said. "I didn't want to tell you that your sister died."

Seiji held her tight in his arms. He could feel her shaking. "Mika…"

"What?" she asked. At first, Seiji didn't know how to come out with this. Mika would do anything to keep him by her side. She wasn't afraid to go to extremes to do it. If a girl was willing to have plastic surgery to look like Celty's head, she would probably go even further.

"What will you do if I get my memories back?" he asked. Mika froze as she started to look grim.

"I don't know," she said in a quiet voice.

"Would you try and erase my memories in some way?" Seiji asked. Mika lowered her eyes. She mumbled something under her breath, but he didn't catch it.

"What did you say?" Seiji asked. Mika let go of him and started backing away. The color drained from her face.

"Mika?" he asked. She turned and walked down the hall. Seiji was left standing alone in the living room. The door closed down the hall.

* * *

Shinra paced around in the hall of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. He tried to ignore the disembodied voices behind him. The cold spots had gotten worse lately. Half of the staff didn't want to come inside anymore. Even Celty started to feel the effects.

[Can you tell me what's going on?] she typed on her PDA. Her boyfriend ignored her. How long had she had those bags in their closet? That first bag told him how desperate things had gotten.

The couple looked up when they heard the door opened. Shingen poked his head outside. His son ran over to him.

"Well?" Shinra asked. Shingen would have a serious look on his face behind his mask.

"It's just as we thought," he said. "Where did she get this?"

[From the dock, if I can recall,] Celty typed. Shingen took a moment to ponder what to do next.

"Have either of you two opened the book?" he asked.

"No," Shinra said. "We looked inside and brought the bags here."

"Oh, good," the older doctor said. "There is still time." He opened the door further. "Come inside." Shinra and Celty followed behind. The younger doctor caught a low hissing noise in his ear.

"You will not win."

Shinra turned his head. But there was no one else there. Those words filled him with dread.

"Are you coming?" Shingen asked in the lab. Shinra turned back to the open doorway.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," he said. The doctor hurried into the room.

* * *

Kururi made her way down to the pachinko parlor hidden away between the shops in downtown Shinjuku. She wasn't looking to play. No, she had something bigger in mind. The queen bee pushed open the door and walked through.

The stares from the middle-aged men and smoke in the lobby didn't faze her as she walked to the back door. One man even whistled as he stared at her ass. Kururi stuck up her middle finger as she walked by. She finally came to the heavy metal door and knocked. The girl pushed it open and walked inside.

The smell of smoke made her nose curl because of how strong it was. The chatter in front of her stopped when the door closed behind her. A group of boys her age, maybe a little bit older, looked up from their cards, smokes, and chatter. The looked like delinquent boys with their baggy clothes, facial piercings, and dyed hair. The leader raised his eyebrow.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Princess Kururi herself," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Surely, you are not here looking to score. That's just beneath you." Kururi frowned as she eyed him.

"Spare me, Ikki," she said. "I want to talk business with you. I have proposal for you." The thug boy leader's ears perked up.

"Oh?" he asked. Kururi stepped forward and pulled out her cell phone. She pulled up a picture of Chiyomi smiling.

"This is Noda Chiyomi," the Queen Bee said. "She has a crush on you. She told me this morning." Kururi passed her phone to Ikki. He took a look for himself with the picture.

"Hm, kind of cute," he said. His friends took a look and smirked. Kururi took back her phone.

"She may a little plain, but she's really sweet," she said. "And she's a virgin." She had his attention now. Kururi smirked as she added the finishing touches to her plan.

"I can set it up for you," she said. "All you have to do is to say the word." Ikki sat up with a smirk.

"What all do I have to do?" he asked. Kururi's lips curved into a little smile.

"Be her boyfriend," she said. "You are free to do whatever you want with her.

"Done," the leader thug said with his hands in the air.

"Excellent," the Queen Bee purred.

* * *

Lack of sleep can lead to being lost in your thoughts. Mikado was learning this the hard way as he sat at his computer during his second sleepless night. He started to remember more things. Not just the nightmares and torture at Chou Mori either.

Mikado cringed as he remembered being in many other beds. _Many_ other beds. Granted, most of the girls were ghosts from Purgatory. And Limbo. And the Living World. Mikado grabbed his hand, wanting to throw up. _What have I done?_ It didn't help that Masaomi and Anri were already sound asleep.

Suddenly, a pair hands rubbed on his shoulders. That smell of heavy cinnamon and rose perfume told him who was with him.

"Good evening," a woman's voice purred in his ear. Mikado's body went stiff as he glanced out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you doing here, Cheri-san?" he asked. She smiled like a hungry fox.

"I heard you aren't a virgin anymore," she said. His eyes widened as he remembered all of his wild nights in bed.

"Don't," Mikado said, pushing Cheri away. She pretended to look hurt as she gave him a little pout.

"Aw, what's the matter?" she asked. "You can't undo what you did. This wasn't the first time you took her flower; you know." Mikado frowned as shut down his computer and turned to her.

"Don't remind me," he muttered. "Why are you even here?"

"Aw, yes," Cheri said as she rose to her feet. "First as you have seen, there are demons that are trying to kill you." Mikado looked up at her, frowning.

"Is that it?" he asked.

"No, there will be more," she said. "Just be on your guard."

"Thank you," Mikado said in a low voice. Cheri still stood in front of him, grinning like a hungry cat. He sighed and dropped his shoulders.

"Go on, spit it out," the tadpole boy said. Cheri repressed a giggle.

"You know me well, don't you?" she asked. She leaned forward, tucking her light purple hair behind her ear.

"I know you are still green, but darling, your technique in bed could use some work," Cheri said in a low voice. Mikado's face turned bright red.

"That's okay, I can help you," she said. He frantically shook his head.

"No way!" Mikado shouted. "You are not going to try that one on me again." Cheri just waved him off.

"No, no, I'm going to do all of that," she said. "Just turn on the computer and I will show you." The tadpole boy gave her a strange look.

"Why?" he asked.

"Just do it," the madam told him. The intent look in her eyes told him that he had no choice. Mikado turned and booted up his computer.

"Allow me," she said. Cheri leaned over and brought up the internet browser. She started typing away in the address bar.

"What are you doing?" Mikado whispered. Cheri grinned as hit enter. A black site with a giant pink heart appeared on screen. "Are you 18 or older?" the page asked. Mikado could already see where this was heading.

"Cheri-san?" he asked. She didn't listen as he hit "yes." Instantly, a woman with long black hair popped up on the screen dressed in a black and red lacy gown. Mikado's face tuned bright red. Cheri patted him on the back.

"Relax," she said. "She's not naked."

"That's not the point," Mikado said under his breath. The madam put her arm around his shoulders.

"This will be your homework assignment," she said. "You just have to watch some porn videos. Don't worry, it's nothing hardcore. I picked out all of the vanilla stuff for you." Mikado gave her a blank stare.

"Uh…" he said. Cheri gently covered his mouth.

"Don't talk," she said. "Just watch these. They aren't really close to reality, but you will learn the basic idea. You are a fast learner now, after all." Mikado just lost all words as Cheri started to browse through vanilla missionary videos.

_What is happening?!_

* * *

-Sunday-

In the early hours of the morning in Shinjuku, Izaya was heading home for the night. The atmosphere in Rampo Biotech seemed to have changed. Everyone seemed more focused than ever. He heard the whispers of the seventh gate and trying to locate it. The information broker knew that time was running out. If his employer didn't give him the next move, it would be his next on the line. Izaya shook his head.

"Why did I get mixed up in this shit?" he muttered to himself. If only he had deleted that damned video and blocked his e-mail…

Izaya walked up to his apartment and unlocked the door. Just when he turned the knob to open it…

Boom!

A huge explosion threw Izaya backwards. He landed against the wall and hit the floor. The information broker didn't get a chance to piece together what was going on. By the time he opened his eyes, one of his phones buzzed. Izaya reached into his coat and dug around for the right one. When opened it up, he had one new text.

"One down, two more to go!"

The little smiley faces let him know how serious this game was getting.

It would only get worse for him.

* * *

-Monday-

Another day rose in the fragile atmosphere in Ikebukuro. Who was going to be the first ones to tip the balance?


	2. Hya-Chan

Halo One: Hya-Chan:

8/12/83

I had the strangest dream last night.

I was walking around in this bright pink room. I could smell roses everywhere. I didn't know where I was. The last thing I remember was walking upstairs to my room. Now, I was... wherever this place was. Oddly enough, I wasn't afraid. Everything felt so calm in this room. I still didn't know why I was here.

But I wasn't alone for long.

I turned to see a girl about my age standing inches away from me. At first, I thought was an angel dressed in pink and white. Her long black hair floated around her like she was swimming in the water. Her tiny feet didn't touch the ground either. Her smile could calm down a crying child.

"Hello," this girl said.

"Hi…" I said. "Um, where are we?" She giggled at my question.

"Welcome to my room!" she said with her arms out. I gave her a confused look on my face.

"Okay… Why am I here?" I asked.

"You prayed for me to come," this girl told me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. She kept talking so fast too. She could she the confused look on my face.

"Oh," the girl said. "I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself." She took a bow as she smiled. "I am a cupid."

"A… cupid?" I asked.

"That's right," she said. "You prayed for me to come."

"I don't remember doing that," I said, shaking my head. This cupid smiled at me.

"Of course you did," she said. "Remember?"

"No…." I said at first. But the then, I started to think. I had been praying for Makoto to love me back. He seemed put off by me for some reason. Every inch of my being keeps screaming to run away. Makoto looked like a bad boy that would ruin me. Still, he is so beautiful. I couldn't stop thinking about him.

My cheeks turned bright pink. The cupid clapped her hands and twirled around.

"Yay!" she said. "You remember me!" I had a confused look on my face.

"So… you're here to help me?" I asked.

"That's right!" she said. The cupid grabbed me by the hand. I nervously laughed as she smiled at me.

"Okay…" I said. "Can you make Makoto-san fall in love with me?"

"Of course, silly!" she said. "I am a cupid after all!" Her face looked young like a little girl's. She had the cutest smile ever.

"So tell me," the cupid said. "Why do you love Makoto so much?" My cheeks turned redder.

"Uh… well…" I said. "He's really cool. He's handsome. He's really nice. He works hard. And… And… I really do like him!" The cupid raised her eyebrow.

"But he's a playboy," she said. I sighed.

"I know," I said. "But I can't help how I feel about him." I started frowning. "Is… that a bad thing?" The cupid smiled and shook her head.

"No," she said. "The heart wants what the heart wants." I began to relax.

"Alright, can you make Makoto fall in love with me?" I asked.

"Of course," the cupid said. "But I will need a price from you." I raised my eyebrow at her.

"A price?" I asked.

"It's nothing like your soul or anything," she said. "Just your most value material possession."

"What for?" I asked.

"I need something of high value to make my spells that much more powerful," the cupid explained. The way she put made so much sense. I figured that since this was a dream, it would be okay. There was only one thing I could think of to give her. I reached behind my nape and unhooked my blue and silver star flower necklace and handed it over to her.

"Oooo, pretty!" she said.

"This used to be my mother's necklace," I told her. "This was the last gift I got from her before she died."

"Are you sure you want me to have it?" the cupid asked.

"Yes," I said with resolve. I could feel myself shaking. She took my mother's beautiful star necklace.

"Fair enough," the cupid said. She closed her eyes and started chanting a soft spell. My necklace started to glow before it broke into tiny sparkling silver pieces floating in the air. They flew away and disappeared. The cupid smiled at me.

"Okay," she said. "There it is." I stood, blinking.

"That's it?" I asked. The cupid giggled.

"That's just the start of my spell," she said. "You will start to see the effects really soon. All you have to do is pray." She disappeared before I could ask any more questions.

When I awoke the next morning, I didn't think much of the dream. I got up and got ready for the day. I can't find my mother's necklace. I thought I left it on the nightstand last night. Maybe I misplaced it somewhere. Oh well. Maybe it will turn up somewhere later.

There's no way that a dream could've made it disappear. That's just ridiculous, right?


	3. Shinra

Halo Two: Shinra:

Shinra sat asleep in the chair when he felt something poke him in the side.

"Huh?" he asked. Celty stood in front of him. She had on her usual kitty bike helmet on.

"Oh, it's you," the doctor said. "How long was I asleep for?"

[About two hours,] Celty typed.

"Two hours?" Shinra asked. He looked around the lab.

[Yeah, you just dozed off,] she typed. [I wanted to wake you up but your dad wouldn't let me. He told me to just let you sleep.]

"Heh," was all her boyfriend said.

"Oh good, you're awake," Shingen said. "Come over here and look at this." His son and Celty walked over to the table. A large leather book sat in the middle surrounded by Kanji in white chalk. Charms sat around it as well.

"What is that?" Shinra asked.

"The Book of Enma," Shingen answered. He turned and opened the book with thick gloves on his hands. Shinra's stomach turned.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" he asked.

"I had it warded as the higher ups instructed," his father said. "Plus, I have these gloves too." He turned to the first page.

"Take a look," the older doctor said. Shinra and Celty walked over to the book.

"There's nothing in it," the younger doctor said.

"Exactly," Shingen said. He flipped through each page with care.

[Why was this given to me?] Celty typed.

"My guess is that it would be safe with you," Shingen said. He closed the book.

"Why is it blank like that?" Shinra asked. "Is it supposed to be like that?"

"Yes," his father said. "We do not know anything about it." Shinra and Celty looked so confused.

"What?" Shinra asked. "What do you mean?" His father sighed.

"No one else can get close to it," he admitted. "We can't even get any of the staff to even get in the building."

"Oh…" Shinra mumbled. He noticed his father's gaze fixed on him. The younger doctor frowned.

"Wait…" he said. "You want me to…?" He could see the worried look on Celty's non-existent face.

"Oh, no!" Shinra was quick to say, shaking his head. "You are not pulling me further into this mess!"

"You don't have a choice anymore," Shingen said. He grabbed his son by the wrist. "I asked you to help and now you have a target on your back. They will come after you. You know too much now. You have no choice but to go further down this rabbit hole." His words were enough to make Shinra tremble.

"Dad?" he asked. Shingen didn't have to speak. Shinra sighed and dropped his shoulders.

"Fine," he grumbled. "What do you need me to do?" His father handed him a second pair of gloves.

"We are going to be here all day," Shingen told him. Shinra nervously laughed as he turned his attention to Celty. She too would have to stay with him for this book research.

* * *

-Odaiba-

Around three in the morning, a woman in her mid-thirties walked down to car park near her apartment. She had on a hoodie and a dark pair of jeans. Her hands were stuffed into her pocket as she looked around. The woman trembled as she kept her head down. She shuffled across to a black SUV at the end of the car park. Her right hand pulled out a small plastic bag. The woman started shaking as she stuffed it under the cover of the right front wheel.

She had done it. But her penitence wasn't over. The woman looked around and hurried out of the car park.

* * *

-Ikebukuro-

Kitano finally sent out the memo. The inner circle and a small number of interns sat waiting in a conference room. They all knew what this was about. Eighteen minutes later, Kitano walked into the room. He took his seat at the head of the table.

"Good morning," the therapist said.

"Morning," everyone said back. Kitano didn't need to mess around.

"We need to find the last gate," he said. They all agreed. Yui slowly raised her hand.

"We have been looking but we can't find it," she said.

"How many dolls are left?" Aya asked. The interns counted up on her fingers.

"132," Yuzuru said in a quiet voice. Yui turned her head.

"Yeah," she said.

"We have been destroying the dolls as fast as we can," Mei added. "Even the ones that aren't warded."

"I am afraid that isn't enough," Kitano said. "We will have to double our efforts."

"What do you recommend we do?" Junko asked.

"We will have to suspend some of our projects until we can locate the gate," he said. Silence filled the room.

"Which ones?" Daichi asked.

"The main ones will go on as usual," Kitano said. "Angel, Tadpole, and Heaven will be fine. We cannot work on any side projects. No blood knight training. Your interns have to help destroy all of the dolls. If you have threats to the main project, don't act on them. Observe them for the time being. This will not be up for debate. Do you all understand?"

"Yes," everyone said.

"Very good," the leader said. "That is all."

"Yes," the others said. Everyone bowed and departed out of the room.

* * *

Izaya frowned at the computer of his second apartment. No one got hurt in the blast. Kururi was at Aoba's apartment at the time. Namie was dead, of course. That was beside the point. There brave fools that tried to kill him before. Hell, he even died before.

But this was different.

Izaya had no leads. The number from that mocking text came back to a disposable phone. They were good, he would give them that much. However, this wouldn't be the last time they would pull something like this. Who was trying to kill him this time?

His money was on Kitano.

But…

"What's wrong, Izaya?" Kitano asked around ten in the morning. The information broker tried to look like his usual smug self.

"My apartment got bombed last night," he said in a dry tone. Kitano didn't even look up.

"Which apartment was that?" he asked.

"The one in Shinjuku," the information broker said.

"And which one is that?" Kitano asked again. "You have three of them. Well, two of them now." Izaya just wrinkled his nose.

"I am trying to find out who it was," he said.

"Ah," Kitano said. No real reaction. He didn't even look up. The therapist just kept taking more notes. Izaya frowned. He couldn't read the old man. That was the worst part about him.

Izaya sat back in his chair. At times like these he wished that Namie was still around. Her deadpan snark at least made him feel a little bit better. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to send her to investigate Kinko Sekai Apartments with those interns last year.

Speaking interns…

Izaya pulled out his phone and dialed up the one number needed right.

"Hello?" Aoba asked over the other line.

"Aoba-kun," the information broker said. "Where are you right now?" He heard groaning. Followed by some grumbling.

"I'm sorry?" Izaya asked.

"I'll be over in a little bit," Aoba said.

"Very good," the information broker said. He hung up before his new secretary could say another word. Izaya rubbed his forehead. Aoba was no Namie but it beat being all alone in his apartment day after day. Shinra and Mari seemed to be too busy to call him back.

At this point, Izaya didn't whether to laugh or cry.

* * *

-Monday-

Shinra would have to study the Book of Enma. He couldn't take it out of the building. That book could not go out of the barrier. Celty had to arm him with a charm from a shrine she bought after one of her deliveries.

[Please… Take this. Just be careful,] Celty typed.

"I will," he said.

Right now, Shinra stood in front of that empty book. It didn't look as intimidating as it did when he and Celty first looked in the bag. The chalk and charms took some of the darkness from it. The doctor took a breath and walked up to it. Doing good so far. Shinra reached out for the pages. He stood over the book. Each page was blank. This book couldn't hurt him, right? Shinra tried to ignore the whispering around him.

"Don't do it."

"Stop."

"Stop."

Shinra put on his gloves and touched the first page. Nothing happened.

"What exactly do you want me to find about this book?" Shinra asked over the phone on his way to Yagiri Pharmaceuticals.

"Anything you can?" Shingen asked. "I have looked through it and came up with nothing." His son frowned.

"What makes you think I will find anything?" he asked.

"It wouldn't hurt to look, would it?" Shingen asked. The younger doctor rolled his eyes.

"Fine," Shinra said.

The younger doctor went through each page. Every one of them was blank. The buzzing and whispering circled his ear.

"Stop!"

"Don't do this!"

"Stop!"

Shinra still turned the pages. But then he came upon on particular page in the middle of the book. One touch led to a pulsing sensation that ran through his body. The room suddenly felt colder and darker.

* * *

The first thing Shinra noticed was the smell of blood. His eyes felt like they were burning behind his glasses. When did it get so hot in here? The doctor looked up when he heard someone weeping. Darkness as far as the eye could see. That was until…

Shinra looked in the distance. Was that… Fire?

The doctor walked over for a closer look. A faint fire burned in the distant. Curious, he had to take a look. The heat in the air grew worse as Shinra walked closer. But he found himself unable to stop. With each step, the weeping grew louder. Finally, Shinra stopped in his tracks.

He stood before a giant black steel door. Flames were bursting out from behind it, giving off an ungodly heat. The fire was so bad that the doctor had to shield his eyes. The black trees surrounding him was the only thing not affected by the heat. His heart started pounding so hard against his chest. He could hear the weeping again. This time, it was loud enough to be in front of him. Through the heat, Shinra could make a figure standing in front of the door.

A woman stood in front of the door. Well, not so much standing, but more like floating off of the ground. Her short white dress stood out from the door. Her long black hair covered her face. The weeping noises appeared to be coming from her.

"Hello?" Shinra asked. "Miss, are you okay?" The woman didn't answer.

"Hello?" the doctor asked again. But then he noticed her bright red eyes glowing at him. Her jaw opened down to her throat. She seemed to let out a silent scream. Shinra coiled in fear, covering his ears. He heard her say one thing in his mind.

"You shouldn't have come here!"

* * *

When Shinra came to, he found himself around in the lab. The Book of Enma had forced itself closed. The doctor rubbed the back of his head, confused.

"What was that?" Shinra asked. Suddenly, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. When the doctor turned his head, the charm that Celty gave him earlier was floating in mid-air, glowing black.

"Huh? That charm protected me?" he asked. Shinra crawled over for a closer look. He straightened his glasses. His eyes grew wide.

"Her shadows protected me!" he said. Shinra took one more look at that strange book. Someone delivered that to her? No wonder none of the staff wanted to get close to it. Shinra probably should've just left it as it was. What was even in the other bag? The doctor probably didn't want to know. He shouldn't have agreed to do this. What did his father push him into?

So why was he so drawn to that book again?

* * *

Meanwhile, a body lay on the living room floor of an upscale apartment in the richer part of Ikebukuro. It was going to be hours before it was found.


	4. Chiharu

Halo Three: Chiharu:

-Chiharu-

She took everything from me. I didn't want to come back. She forced me to come back. I don't want to be experimented on again. I don't want to go back there. I don't want to go back there!

I could barely hear their voices. Why were they always whispering around me? I can see them though.

"How is she doing?" Mikado asked in a hushed tone. Tatsuya shook his head.

"Not good," Aniki said. Masaomi looked over at me. No, please don't look at me like that. I'm still me, aren't I? Aren't I? My heart started pounding against my chest. The hunger… It won't stop. I have to have more. All that blood. I need more. Give me more! I have to have it!

My body started to convulse. No! I won't give into this. I might have just messed up once. But I won't let it happen again. The pains grew worse in my body. Then came that annoying buzzing in my left ear. She sounded just like her. The sound of her voice made me want to scream.

"It's so adorable that you think you can climb back from this," she whispered. "It's too late for you, you know. You've already had your first taste of human blood. It won't stop. You will have more. It is in your nature." I gritted my teeth.

"No!" I growled. "You will not take me! I will not give in!"

"But you already have," that annoying voice said. My eyes widened in my pain. An invisible hand started stroking my hair.

"You poor thing," they went on. "This would all be over if you feed. You only got a taste on that roof. That was only a crumb. Why torture yourself when you can have a nice juicy whole body to feast on?" Did those poisonous words have to strike a nerve? I won't give into it. I won't give into it.

"But haven't you already?" they asked. "We can keep going with this here or you can just give up and feed. You're dying anyway."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" I screamed. The pain grew worse through my body. I thought my hear was going to burst in my chest. I couldn't even claw into the floor.

"Chiharu! Chiharu!" was the last thing I heard before it all turned black.

* * *

Hot. It's so hot.

I awoke to a bright light over my head. Wait a minute… I have seen this before. No, not again.

Soft footsteps walked into the room. They stopped at the doorway. Hushed whispers outside. I knew what was coming next. Footsteps walked over to the operating table. Two masked doctors stood over me. I couldn't see their faces. Their voices were muffled. One of them stroked my face.

Get your hand off of me. I am not your pet! Get away from me!

Then the cutting begins. It's my chest again. I could feel everything. I can't scream. I lost the ability to speak when I was reborn. I could see everything they were doing to me. All I can do is lay there and let them operate on me.

* * *

"Chiharu! Chiharu!" I heard someone yell. I yanked open my eyes. Mikado and Masaomi stood over me.

"Are you okay?" Masaomi asked. I tried to speak but no words came out. The best I could muster was a small squeak. I could already hear her laughing again in my left ear.

* * *

-Dolls-

Today was Sunday and the interns had only one job they needed to do. Kitano paired them out into little teams. They would due back before sundown. Time for some doll-hunting.

-7:00 a.m.-

Roc turned to Akihito. "You never really talk much, do you? Why is that?" His fellow intern eyed him. Roc dropped his shoulders.

"Never mind," he muttered. Akihito pulled out his phone.

"What is that?" the other intern asked.

"Asato-sensei installed an app that will tell us which dolls are warded," Akihito said. "You should have one too."

"Huh?" Roc asked. He pulled out his phone. Low and behold, there was the app on the front screen.

"Ah," the intern said. He tapped the screen and opened the app. "So what exactly are we looking for?"

"You'll know when you see it," Akihito said, looking up at the tree with his phone. Roc frowned.

"Like that really helps," he muttered. Still, he looked up at the tree with his partner. They turned it into a game, really. Which team can find and destroy the most dolls? The interns hadn't come up with a prize yet.

"What do you think we'll win?" Yayoi asked with her phone out at a shrine.

"I don't know," Yuka admitted. Her fellow intern frowned.

"There has to be something," she said.

"Like what?" the other intern asked. Yayoi shook her head and shrugged. Yuka rolled her eyes and went back to looking. The talk of the contest reached the inner circle.

"What do you think their prize will be?" Aya asked.

"Up to them," Kitano said. "I just want that gate to be found." He turned and looked at his fellow therapist. "It gives them a motive to do it."

"I guess you are right," she said. The older therapist raised his eyebrow.

"Is there anything else you wanted?" he asked.

"Ah yes," Aya said. "I have been looking into what Vozrozhdeniye has been doing lately. It's been too quiet from them."

"And?" Kitano asked.

"My connections in Russia handed this to me this morning," she said. Aya handed him a small stack of papers. Kitano read through the first page.

"Most of it is still in Russian," she said. "But two words keep popping up throughout this document."

"Project Diorama?" Kitano asked.

"I have our hackers looking into it right now," she said. "I just thought that I would let you know." The older therapist reorganized the papers.

"Thank you for letting me know," he said. "You are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir," Aya said, bowing. She turned and walked out of the office. Kitano put the papers in his desk drawer and closed it. He pulled out his phone.

"Hello, it's me," Kitano said. "Yeah, I will need you to look into something for me. Excellent. Do you have a pencil and paper ready? Good. Here's what I need you to look up."

Number of Dolls Destroyed: 12

Number of Dolls Left: 120

* * *

-Chiyomi-

I decided to make some changes in my life. Kururi-san and my other friends are so pretty. I am just… not. I was ignored throughout junior high. I ended up graduating with no friends. The beginning of my freshmen year was rough. I was either bullied or ignored. I should've been used to this by now. Still, it would've been nice to have a friend for a change. But then, Kururi-san and her friends invited me to hang out with them. I should be excited.

Sadly, I already feel out of place.

"Welcome home, baby," Mom said when I came home on Friday. She noticed the uneasy look on my face. "What's wrong, sweetie?" I lowered my eyes and pressed my lips together.

"Mom, could you teach me to wear make-up?" I asked. Mom and Dad looked up at me with shock.

"Uh… sure!" Mom said. She took me back to her room.

"You don't need to put on too much," she said. "But I think just lip gloss could be fine. You can apply more naturally like this." Mom couldn't help but squeal. "When was the last time we spent time together like this?" I nervously laughed. Just as long as she's happy, I guess.

"Hey, want to go to the beauty salon with me?" Mom asked. My eyes widened.

"Okay!" I was quick to say. We went out and I got a haircut. No more long light brown pigtails. Now, my hair came down to my shoulders. Mom even went out and bought me a new skirt and lacy top.

"What do you think, dear?" Mom asked Dad when we got home. "Isn't Chiyomi beautiful?" I felt like I was shrinking as I waited. My Dad looked up from his paper and managed a nervous smile. My Dad, the strict salaryman who barely speaks to us, actually smiled at my new look.

I even got the approval of Kururi-san when we met up the next morning.

"Well, look at you," she said. "Aren't you an idol?" I twirled around in my new outfit, smiling. Kururi-san pulled out cell phone.

"Hang on, I have to get a picture of you," she said. I smiled and posed for some pictures. Kururi-san took eight pictures of me.

"Nice," she said. Kururi-san and I went out for some coffee at Starbucks. She seemed to be putting more attention on me lately. It actually felt pretty nice. So this was what it was like to have a friend. Suddenly, Kururi-san's phone buzzed.

"Oh, I have to go," she said. "My brother has some problems with my boyfriend again."

"Okay," I said. "See ya." I didn't move as Kururi-san turned and walked away. I waved as she was gone. I guess I could go and buy a couple of beauty magazines.

I made my way down to the 7-11. My mom and I were going to go out and buy some more cute clothes tomorrow. I looked through all of the beauty magazines and frowned. The models were so pretty but they tried too hard. Kururi-san and her friends dress too risqué for my taste. I couldn't show off my breasts like they could.

"Excuse me," someone said behind me. "Is that the latest issue of the _Brutus_?" I turned around and froze. It was him. I have had my eye on this beautiful older boy since I started high school. His light dyed blonde hair, pierced ears, and lip ring screamed "danger" and "run away". But I thought he was so cool. He went to another school but I always saw him with his friends around the city. My heart started pounding against my chest.

"Uh… Uh… I don't know!" I said. My crush chuckled at me.

"You really are cute," he said. My face turned bright red. My crush called me cute. He actually called me cute.

"Say, I have plenty of time to kill," my crush said. "Want to hang out?" I thought that I would fly through the roof.

"Yes!" I said, quickly nodding. "Just let me buy a couple of magazines first!" My crush smiled and bowed.

"Go ahead, m'lady," he said. This had to be a dream. I changed my looks and now my best friend is paying more attention to me? And now my crush is talking to me? I smiled as I walked up to the counter. I started to feel better about myself for the first time in years.

* * *

I couldn't mess this up. I didn't want him to think I was a plain girl. My crush took me to a karaoke bar. To be honest, I never have been in one of these before. Kururi-san and her friends go on a weekly basis but I never really get invited along. To my surprise, my crush was a really good singer. He was just a beautiful close-up as he did far away.

"Is this alcohol?" I asked, looking down at my glass.

"Nah," he said. "It's just juice. Try it. It's amazing." I took a sip. I didn't expect the taste to hit my mouth like it did. I never thought that I would ever spend a day with my crush. He's older, really hot, makes me laugh, and is really good at singing. Wait… I don't even know his name.

Suddenly, my crush leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It felt like fireworks going off in my head. My first kiss. We didn't stop kissing. He slowly pushed his tongue into my mouth. Wow, I didn't think kissing was so great! My body started to feel hot as his hands moved down to my chest. My crush slowly pulled away.

"Wow, you look like you're in a trance, Chiyomi-chan," he said. "Tell me, don't like kissing?" I sat there panting with my blouse opened wide open.

"Yes," I said, breathlessly. My crush chuckled.

"Alright then," he said. "I have something for you that will make it better." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small baggie.

"Tat-da!" my crush said. He reached inside and pulled out a small pink pill with a heat indent on the top.

"I call this Happy Cherry," he said. "This will make you feel good. I use this little baby on many dates. All of the cool kids use it."

"They do?" I asked.

"Yes," my crush said. He put pill on his tongue and shoved it into my mouth. Something told me to refuse but I couldn't. I didn't what this warm happy feeling to end. I ended up swallowing the pill in the kiss. Pretty soon, bra ended up across the room.

We must have been kissing for what felt like hours. My crush slowly pulled away.

"You like that, huh?" he asked.

"Yes!" I cried. His lips curved into a smirk as he moved his hand to my panties. I squirmed as my body tensed up.

"No! Not that!" I yelped. "It's sensitive!" My crush licked his lips.

"Wow! You really are wet!" he said. "I'm going to give something better to play with." He unzipped his jeans. I gulped at his size. That's what it looks like? He pushed me back onto the table. My crush climbed on top as my head started to spin. My panties ended up across the room with my bra. He grinned at me like a wild cat.

"It will okay," he purred in my ear. "This drug will make everything better." He shoved himself inside of me. I had to admit that it hurt for the first time. I could feel every inch of him inside of me. My crush looked down at me smirking.

"Ah, look at you," he said. "Giving it away to someone you just met. You don't even know me, you little slut."

"But I'm not a slut," I whimpered. My crush started pounding into me hard.

"We just met and you followed me here," he said. "You had to have expected this to happen." My crush grabbed me by the face. "Say it. Say you are a slutty brat bitch and you wanted this. It will turn me on."

"I… I am a slutty brat bitch and I wanted this!" I shouted. I moaned as he pounded harder.

"You really are high, aren't you?" my crush asked. I only moaned louder. I didn't know what he was saying anymore but this became too good to stop. He didn't even try to be giggle.

"Rough is hotter," he told me. I just lied there and took it. I couldn't even think straight anymore.

"I love you!" I screamed at one point. My crush smirked at me.

"Heh," was all he said. Pretty soon, the room started spinning. The last thing I could remember was his smile as he started coming inside of me.

* * *

Ikki pulled out with a smirk on his face. The Queen Bee was right.

"That was great sex," he said. Ikki looked over at a passed out Chiyomi. "You were right good. Let's play again sometime. I'll pay for the room myself." The thug boy pulled out his phone.

"I'll put your number in my phone," he said. "Oh and I have to do this." Ikki took a picture of Chiyomi's pleasure-filled face. One text later and he was ready to go.

"You better wake up, Chiyomi-chan," Ikki whispered at the door. "Or else someone else will play with you." And then he was gone.

* * *

-Shinjuku-

Kururi sat near an island inside a house party of another classmate when her phone buzzed. She opened it up and saw the text from Ikki.

"It's done," was all it said. The Queen Bee scrolled down and saw the passed-out picture of Chiyomi on the karaoke table.

"Heh," was all she said. Kururi deleted the text and rejoined her friends.

* * *

-Izaya-

"119, what is your emergency?"

"*Sobs*"

"Hello?"

"I was kidnapped! He beat me and starved me! He kept me locked in the closet!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. You said that you were kidnapped?"

"Yes!"

"Where are you now?"

"*More sobbing*"

"Miss? Miss?"

The line went dead.

"Hello? Hello?"

* * *

Eight police officers walked up to Izaya's apartment around two in the morning. The leader officer pounded on the door.

"Police! Open up!" he shouted. The officer kept pounding until the door open. A half-asleep Izaya had a confused look on his face.

"Huh?" he asked. "Who is it?" The information broker fully woke up to see eight heavily armed officers standing outside his door.

"Okay… What is this?" Izaya asked.

"We got a call about a hostage situation at this apartment," the officer said. The information broker gave him a confused look.

"Hostage situation?" he asked. "Wait… There is no hostage here. I think you made a mistake. Think you got the wrong apartment?"

"No," the main officer said. "We got a call from this address."

"I didn't make any calls," Izaya said.

"It was a woman," another officer said. The information broker narrowed his eyes.

"Nee-san? What's going on out there?" a girl's voice asked from inside the apartment. Everyone turned to see Kururi walking into the living room in a lacy nightgown. The remaining police drew out their guns.

"Hold your fire!" their leader shouted. Kururi stood, looking around.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"Are you alright, miss?" the officer asked. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" The Queen Bee gave him a strange look.

"No…" she said. Now even the police were getting confused.

"Could we search the apartment?" the main officer asked. By this time, the Orihara siblings started to get annoyed. Izaya sighed.

"Fine," he said. He moved aside and let the police inside. After about three hours, the police finally left. The Orihara siblings stood in the hall.

"What is going on?" Kururi whispered. Izaya shrugged and shook his head. Though, he did have an idea what just happened. When the police were done, they came out and apologized.

"We really don't know who made the call," the main officer said. Izaya tried to stay pleasant as anyone woken up by police at two in the morning would.

"I might have an idea who it was," he said under his breath.

"Excuse me?" the officer asked. The information broker smiled and shook his head.

"Nothing," he lied. The officer raised an eyebrow at him.

"Right, if you are having anymore problems, don't be afraid to call us, okay?" he asked.

"Okay," the siblings said. The police bowed and left. Kururi clung to Izaya as they were leaving. Somehow, this meant war.

* * *

-Body-

Police were called out to the apartment in the richer part of Ikebukuro. A maid called the police when she came in to clean the house around seven in the morning on a Tuesday. She stood outside the apartment, shaking. The police had to stay with her, calming her down. She tried her best to explain what she found.

The body was naked with eyes wide open. Yen bills were tossed all over the floor. More yen bills were stuffed into the open mouth. The victim was female with a large belly covered in ugly black stitches.

* * *

-Chiharu-

I jerked my body upwards. My room was silent, again. But I knew that this was rouse.

Something told me that I wasn't alone in my head anymore.


	5. Tadpoles

Halo Four: Tadpoles:

Before the body in that fancy apartment, there was a trail of bodies leading to Ikebukuro. Not caused by demons, ghosts, or the groups involved in the Apocalypse Game. No, these deaths were caused by something or someone much worse. Angry, even.

This started back in March.

Kate Erina worked at a strip club in Kabukicho. Not as a dancer, she served the drink. On the surface, she smiled and acted all cheerful. Her patrons all adored her. Who could blame then? Her light brown hair came down to her waist. Her uniform looked good on with her curves. She looked so young in her face.

"You have a boyfriend?" her patrons would. Erina smiled and shook her head.

"I had one," she said. "But it didn't work out." The waitress would start to get sad thinking about it.

"I'm sorry to hear that," one of the men told her. Everything was staying calm. Erina did her best to keep up the façade.

The cracks grew deep that March.

The tenth started out as a normal night. There weren't many people that night. Erina had started her shift at the strip club. As usual, she tried not to touch anybody. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror and straightened up her uniform. Erina took a breath.

"I can do this," she said to herself. "Keep it together and don't touch anyone." She took one more breath.

"Right," Erina said. Then she walked out into the club. Everything was going fine. Erina did her best not to touch anybody to prevent… that from happening again. It looked like it was going to be a long night.

Around ten p.m., two men in their late twenties to early thirties walked in. They looked out of place in their causal clothes. Judging by the way they were looking around the club, the men were new to this place. Erina happened to look and spotted these men taking a seat near the stage.

She froze with the tray in her hands. A wave of memories of that place came back. The white halls under the blinking lights. The overwhelming smell of bleach. A pair of feminine hands strapped her down to a chair. She couldn't speak or scream. She couldn't move. Her eyes darted around frantically in the dark. Suddenly, the door closed in the darkness. The footsteps told her what was coming next.

"Miss? Miss? Hey. Hey!"

Someone grabbed her on the shoulder from behind. Erina turned around to see a man in his forties clutching her shoulder as his eyes went blank.

"I hate my boss but his daughter is really sexy," he admitted. "You look just like her in fact! Come here!" Erina freaked out as the man tried to kiss her. She pushed him away as fast as she could. The man just stood there, blinking.

"Uh… What just happened?" he asked. Erina started trembling before she turned and ran out of the club. All eyes were on her back.

* * *

Erina stood in the alleyway, panting. She started shaking. It took six years to complete therapy. Everything had been doing fine. Erina got a job, not a good one but it paid, and started living on her own. She grabbed her head.

"I can't go back that way! I can't go back that way!" the woman said over and over in herself. "I can't go back that way! I can't go back that way!"

Suddenly, a sharp chill ran up her spine.

Erina slowly turned around. A woman her age, maybe a bit older, stood at the other end of the alley with long black hair in a ponytail. She tilted her head.

"Erina?" the woman asked. The bar maid gave her an odd look.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked. The woman walked up closer to her. Erina felt herself shrinking inside with each step. The two women stared each other down when they got close enough. Flashes of memory raced through Erina's head. Only one name came to her lips.

"Hifumi?" she asked. The other woman clapped her hands together.

"You do remember!" she said.

"Not completely," Erina said, rubbing the back of her head.

"You weren't losing your mind, you know?" Hifumi asked. The other woman lifted her head.

"Hm?" she asked.

"I have been tracking those two men who walked into this club," Hifumi said.

"Tracking them? Why?" Erina asked. The other woman grinned.

"Revenge," she said. At first, the bar maid didn't know how to react.

"Revenge?" Erina asked at last.

"Uh-huh," Hifumi said. "And you are going to help me." The other woman stumbled backwards.

"M-Me?" she asked. Suddenly, her mood started to change. "How can I help?" Hifumi smiled.

"I like your style," she said.

* * *

Hifumi got a job as a waitress at the strip club. Sure enough, those two men kept coming every night. Erina and Hifumi couldn't forget them if they wanted to.

"Suzuki Soma and Ito Junji," Erina whispered to her fellow tadpole.

"Yes," Hifumi said back.

-December 10th, 1997-

Those damned lights started flickering again. Erina sat at a table in a daze. The last amount of drugs still hadn't worn off yet. A hand brushed against her left cheek. Soft snickering filled her ear.

"Heh," a man's voice said. "Almost like a brainless doll." Footsteps circled behind her.

"So pretty," she heard him hiss. He licked her on the cheek. Not a little lick. But like a wild dog. He could've stabbed her in the back and she wouldn't be aware of it.

"Ito-san!" another man yelled. Footsteps backed away from her. Erina didn't look up. More footsteps walked up to her.

-Present Day-

"You're shaking," Hifumi whispered in her ear. Erina looked down at her hands.

"Oh," she muttered. Hifumi put her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," she said. "We can do this." Erina pressed her lips together and nodded.

It would take them three days to act. By then, Erina was ready to act. The two tadpoles planned everything down to the detail.

"I'll go in," she said. Hifumi patted her on the back.

"Good luck," she whispered. Erina took a breath and walked over to the table near the stage. Except for the age on their faces, Soma and Junji looked the same as they did in the late 90's. Erina sneered as she took the tray over to their table. She could still smell tobacco and BO on Junji's body. His tongue on her cheek made her skin crawl. The men looked up and saw her, a curvy and buxom bar maid with beer on her tray. Junji looked her up and down and whistled.

"Whoa!" he shouted over the pounding music. "Aren't you a hot one?" His voice made her want to rip her own ears off.

"Here are your beers, sir," Erina said with a forced smile on her face. She knelt down and handed each man their dark green bottles. The tadpole could feel their eyes on her. The anger boiling inside gave her the push that she needed.

"Say," Junji spoke up. Erina glanced up at him. He and his friend gave him goofy smiles.

"This club is kind of lame," Junji said. He grabbed her by the blouse and pulled her in closer. "My friend and I here want something a little more…"

"Entertaining?" Erina asked. Soma started blushing.

"Yeah," his buddy said, nodding. The bar maid pulled away with a little smile on her face. She looked around for a moment before leaning in. The targets leaned in as welcome.

"Well then," Erina whispered. "I think I have just the thing." Junji's face lit up like a Christmas tree while Soma's face turned redder. The tadpole slowly backed away.

"Follow me," she said. Erina turned and walked towards the back end of the exit of the club. The targets got up and followed her without question.

* * *

The back end of the club was the perfect blind spot. No working cameras back here. Junji and Soma couldn't wait for the prize they thought that they would be getting. Erina led them to the middle of the alleyway and stopped. Soma and Junji looked up.

"Hm? What's up?" Junji asked. Erina clinched her fists at her sides.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked. The annoying man gave her back a strange look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. The tadpole looked over her shoulder with a cold look in her eye. Junji blinked at first.

"Are we supposed to?" he asked.

"Heh," Erina said. She turned as strings of chains rained down upon them.

"Hey! What the fuck?!" Junji asked. Erina turned her head to see Hifumi walking out of the shadows. She had her hand up with chains coming out of the palm. Her fellow tadpole's jaw dropped.

"You can do that?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Hifumi said. She turned to their targets. "No thanks to your boss!"

"What are you talking about?" Soma asked. Hifumi frowned as she closed her hand into tight fist. The light blue chains tightened around the targets' bodies. Soma gasped in pain while Junji started screaming. She gritted her teeth.

"Tell me something, gentlemen," the tadpole hissed. "Does the name Kitano-sensei ring any bells?" The trapped men gave her a confused look.

"Who?!" Junji asked. The chains slowly grew tighter.

"Kitano-sensei!" Hifumi repeated. "You know who he is."

"We don't know who that this!" Soma cried. The chains started to grow tighter. The tadpole gritted her teeth.

"Okay then, see if this will job your memory," Hifumi said. "Does Chou Mori ring any bells?" The two men froze. Judging by the looks on their faces, Erina felt the need to act. She stepped forward and touched Junji on the top of his head.

"What are you doing?" Hifumi asked. Junji's eyes went dull.

"Soma and I worked in Chou Mori back in the 90's," he admitted as if in a drunken stupor. Hifumi had a perplexed look on her face.

"You remember us, right?" she asked the dazed man. He lifted his head.

"N… Yes!" the man shouted. "What the hell is this? What are you doing to me?" Erina smirked at her victim.

"I touched you and now you can't lie," she said. "Your old boss also did this to me." Hifumi tightened up her chains.

"Now start talking," she said. "Do you remember us?"

"Yes," Junji admitted. "You were Kitano-sensei's test subjects." Hearing those words made the women cringe. Erina's right eye started to twitch. Junji looked his captor in the eye.

"You are really hot!" he said, breathlessly. The man started chuckling to himself. "I didn't get to fuck you but the taste of your skin. I wished that I had fucked you when you are vegetable!" Erina recoiled in disgust as she drew back her hand. Hifumi tightened her chains even tighter. The men winced in pain.

"What just happened?" Junji asked.

"Tell me where the others are," Hifumi demanded.

"Who?!" Soma asked, panicking.

"The rest of the Chou Mori staff who worked under Kitano-sensei!" she shouted. "Tell me where they are! Tell me!"

"We don't know!" Junji shouted. Erina frowned as she raised her hand. Soma's eyes widened.

"No, no!" he shouted. "We don't know! We swear! We haven't had any contact with them in years. I quit back in 2000!"

"I was fired in 1999," Junji said. Erina put her hands on the men's heads. They admitted the same thing they had just said. The tadpole drew back her hands, panting.

"That's it then," she said. Erina turned back to Hifumi.

"Now what?" she asked. The other tadpole shrugged and shook her head. Erina frowned.

"You didn't think this through, did you?" she asked. Hifumi was about to speak when she and the other tadpole felt sharp chills up their spines.

"Wait…" Erina said, turning her head.

Wapp! Wapp!

Two arrows struck the captives in the throat. Hifumi loosened her chains in shock. Erina looked around for the source. She turned her head when she heard chuckling heading towards them in the dark. A young man with a cross bow in his hand walked forward.

"That was easier than I thought," he said. He set down the crossbow by his side. The boy with the light brown hair looked at the women back and forth.

"What did you do?" Erina asked.

"Killed them, of course," the boy said.

"But why?" she asked. He pointed the tip of his bow at the dying men.

"They were part of that scummy system that pretty much killed us," the boy reasoned. "So why not kill them back? Besides, they were no use to us anymore. We can't let these assholes live and warn all of those other bastards, now can we?" The women didn't speak.

"Look," he said. "We are doing a greater good for our brothers and sisters. They did this to us." The boy pointed between the two employees.

"Those two had a hand in our misery," he said. "Why not make them pay?" His words had some sense to them…

"What are you suggesting?" Hifumi asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" the boy asked.

"Who are you, anyway?" Erina asked. Their new tadpole siblings bowed his head.

"Kato Yamato," he said. "At your service."

"Erina," the bar maid said.

"Hifumi," Hifumi said, removing the chains from the dead men. "Help us get rid of these bodies and then we will talk."

"With pleasure," Yamato said.

* * *

-Sota and Anzu-

-Present Day-

Sota waited outside the dojo. He sensed her here. For quite some time since the tadpoles would meet up in the library in secret, Sota had noticed her. He never had the chance to talk to her face to face. Telepathy could only go so far.

He paced around the front door. Kendo class would be over in about… Sota pulled out his phone. 15:50. Ten more minutes. To be honest, he started to feel a bit…

Lonely. Sure, there was Shizue. But she was a boring old normie. She didn't know his deepest secret. He was only staying by her to keep her from committing suicide. Shizue seemed to have grown attached to him. How would she even handle him being a tadpole?

Sota shook his head. He couldn't focus on that right now. That door would be opening in the next couple of seconds. Sota steeled himself for that face to face meeting. It would be easy for them to find each other.

Right on the dot, the door opened. All of the girls from the kendo class came flooding out. Their chatter consisted of what they were going to eat for dinner, all of their crushes, the latest episodes of anime and dramas they saw, and the latest music they were into. Anzu never seemed interested in any of those things. To be fair, she just like the rest of the tadpoles were too wrapped up in the problems Kitano oh so kindly "blessed" them with. But still, something about that drew his attention towards her.

Then came that old shock down his spine. Sota turned his head. There was Anzu staring at him at the door. She wasn't alone, however. A girl about a year and grade younger than her was trying to get her attention. Sota waved at the older girl.

"Yo," he said. Anzu turned to her friend.

"I'll see you later, okay?" she asked. Maiko gave her a concerned look.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Anzu just shooed her away. The other girl just shrugged and walked off in the other direction. The tadpole turned back to Sota, glaring.

"What are you doing here?!" she hissed.

"I came to see you, of course," he said.

"Why?" Anzu asked. Sota smiled and bowed his head.

"Because I wanted to get to know you alone," he said. Sora leaned in on his moped and smirked. "You really are cute." The tadpole girl turned her head, blushing.

"Shut up!" she yelled. Sota threw back his head and laughed.

"What's do funny?!" Anzu snapped. He smiled and shook his head.

"You really are that cute," Sota said. "Come ride with me."

"Uh, no," she said. Sota still grinned at her. He made his intentions clear. _I could do this all day._ Anzu frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Aw hell, whatever," she muttered.

"Lucky!" Sota said with that stupid grin on his face. Boy, she wanted to punch him so badly right now.

* * *

-April-

Yamato introduced Erina and Hifumi to two more tadpoles to their group.

"I figured we were going to need recruits on our revenge mission," he explained. "They are just like us." The women didn't argue. Somehow, that sounded like a plan to their growing cause. Besides, two guys were dead because of them. Too late to turn back now.

They made it to a small abandoned garage. Erina kept her hands in her pockets. Yamato walked up to the graffiti-covered metal door. He turned with his hand on the latch.

"They are good people," the tadpole boy said. Yamato pulled open the door. The shocked chills came as predicted. Two young men were already inside the garage. One with short black hair sat over a pile of wooden dolls. The other had short dyed blonde hair sitting at what looked like a typewriter. They looked up as they heard the footsteps coming towards them.

"Yo," Yamato said.

"You bring dinner for us?" the blonde guy asked.

"No," the younger boy said. "But I did bring us something better." Yamato held out his arms. "Gentlemen, these are Kate Erina and Ushimaru Hifumi. They share the same goal that we have: revenge."

"Hi," Erina mumbled. Hifumi waved. Yamato turned his attention to the women.

"Ladies, the boy with the dark hair is Ono Norio," he said. "And over there is Azuma Shuichi."

"Hello," Shuichi said. Norio waved but didn't speak before turning back to his dolls. Yamato clapped his hands together.

"Right," he said. "We are forming a small army against our enemy. We are now up by five and taken out two of them." He walked over to Shuichi.

"Found anything today?" he asked.

"There is a small group of tadpoles in Ikebukuro," Shuichi said. Yamato leaned over his shoulder for a better look on the screen.

"Excellent," he said. "Anything else?"

"Two in Shinjuku," Shuichi added.

"Perfect," Yamato said. He turned to the women. "Well, it looks like the army will be getting bigger once we head out. Erina and Hifumi didn't know how to respond. Too late to turn back now. But first, more killing would have to take place.

* * *

-May-

She grew tired of knowing when people were lying.

January started out tough for her this year. She wished that she didn't have her powers. Then she could go on living a peaceful life in bliss of fake politeness. Even her own mother didn't like to be around her anymore.

"I wish you were never born," she told her on the morning of May twenty-fifth. That wasn't a lie either. Her daughter forced herself to smile as tears filled her eyes.

"You can't mean that," she said, shaking her head. Her mother said nothing. She just gathered up her plate and utensils and walked into the kitchen. Memories of Chou Mori could only rival the feelings that the girl felt from that stinging blow from her mother.

Walks to school became so lonely. No one wanted to be called out on their lies around her. She had gotten used to being alone. But now even her best friend didn't want anything to do with her.

"I'm sorry, Reo-chan," she told her. "But being around you makes me uncomfortable." Reo said that she understood but it still hurt. Would she be doomed to be stuck in a lonely existence while knowing who was lying or not?

Suddenly, Reo froze when that old spinal shock hit her. The tadpole slowly turned her head. Erina stood across the street from the cram school where Reo was exiting. Time seemed to stop around them as the older woman crossed the street. The younger tadpole could feel her heart pounding in her throat. _Who are you? What do you want from me?_

_I understand how you feel._

Reo nearly jumped. _How can I hear you in my head?_

_I don't understand it myself. We are all still trying to figure out how these powers work._

_We? What do you mean we?_

_It's a long story. Anyway, I want to help you._

Reo looked confused. _And how can you do that?_

_I know what you want. Revenge for him and those who made you this way._

The younger tadpole shook her head. _No…_

_No?_

_I just… I just want my life back!_

_I'm afraid that is not possible._

_What?!_ Reo's bright green eyes widened.

_We won't get our old lives back but we can get revenge. This is the only way to get peace._ By now, Erina was standing right in front of Reo. She took the younger girl by the hand.

"My name is Erina," she said. The younger tadpole dug in her brain for a response at first.

"Reo," she said at last. "My name is Reo."

* * *

-June-

Yamato knew how easy this recruit was going to be. They had been talking back and forth to each other through texts. Now, this tadpole didn't have a fixed address but the shelter she frequented gave their residents cell phones just to keep track of them and to make sure that they were safe out on the streets. Thanks to Shuichi's detective work on his laptop, Yamato had her number in one day.

Yamato pulled out his phone once he reached the underpass.

"I am here now," he typed. "Where are you?" The tadpole boy pressed send. Seconds later, he got a reply.

"Look up."

Yamato felt that shocking chill as he lifted his head. A girl about his age sat on the ground wearing ratty jeans and a dirty white t-shirt. Her long black hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days. She stared as him as she lifted her hand in a wave. Yamato raised his eyebrow.

"Sur?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, holding up her phone. The other tadpole walked up to her. She stared him down.

"You still in?" he asked. Sur finally smiled.

"Fuck yeah!" she shouted with her cell phone and fist in the air. Yamato held out his hand. He wasn't surprised on how easy this one was.

* * *

-July-

Now this one wasn't going to be so easy. Yamato walked into a net café in Shinjuku. He looked around with his phone in his hand. Not many people were in here around two in the morning. Yamato smirked to himself.

_This will be made so much easier._

Yamato shoved his hands into his pockets and walked through the café, shifting his eyes left and right. All he needed was that good old shock to the spine to track down another sibling of theirs. The recruitment and kills have been going so well since March. Yamato couldn't wait to snatch up the tadpoles in Ikebukuro next. The tadpole smirked to himself.

He already knew who he would be saving for last.

And sure enough, there came that shock to his spine. Yamato lifted his head towards the snack bar. A man with light brown hair glared at him. The younger tadpole held up his phone. He only had one question to ask to start this goal off.

"Tomoya… -san?" Yamato asked. The other man snorted.

"Who's asking?" he asked. The younger tadpole took a seat next to him.

"We need to talk," he said. Tomoya snorted.

"Why?" he asked. Yamato's lips curved into a smirk.

"Revenge," he said. Tomoya turned his head.

"I'm listening," he said.

* * *

-August-

Yukio made it back to his apartment and went inside.

"I'm home," he said.

"Welcome home," Itori said from the living room. His mood lightened up as he walked over to her. She sat on the couch with her knees in the cushion.

"Why didn't you open the curtains?" Yukio asked. Itori shrugged and shook her head. The other tadpole frowned.

"Anything happen here?" he asked.

"No," she said.

"Ah," he said. Yukio sat down next to her. "Did you eat yet?"

"No," Itori said.

"I will order us something," Yukio said. She doesn't even look up at him.

"Look, it's better if we all stay together like this under these conditions," Yukio said. Itori glanced over at him.

"We have to find the others," he said.

"Why?" she asked. Yukio's face turned grim.

"Mikado was nearly murdered last night," he said.

"Oh no," she said. "Is he okay?"

"Yes. But, these demons might be getting bolder now. We need to find the others and stick together as soon as possible." Yukio noticed the disapproving look on her face.

"What?" he asked. Itori shook her head. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"You can talk to me," Yukio whispered.

"You sound just like Saori," Itori said.

"Well, she does have a point," Yukio said. Suddenly, our phones buzzed.

"Hm?" he asked. Itori and Yukio took out our phones and looked at the screens.

"It's Saori," he said. "She said that she found another group of tadpoles." Itori tilted her head.

"More like us?" she asked.

"Yeah," the other tadpole said. Yukio tapped the screen to reply.

"How many more?" he typed. Itori watched his finger move around on the keyboard before he hint send. It didn't take long for Saori to reply.

"Eight of them," she wrote back. Itori and Yukio looked at each other.

* * *

-Haru-

Kitano was about to close up from his last therapy for the day. He had to keep up the appearance of being "normal" even in this stretch of the game. The last patient was showing signs of improvement. In fact, she talked about plans of her future when she was finished with her therapy.

"I really want to get married," she admitted. Kitano did a little chuckle.

"One thing at a time, remember?" he said. His patient smiled and nodded. She was such a sweet lady.

Suddenly, he looked up when he heard screaming from the hall.

"Doi-san?" Kitano asked. "Doi-san?" The old therapist got up and raced out of his office. Kitano froze in his tracks at what he saw. Doi-san lay dead at the feet of a man all dressed in black. He looked up dead eyes. Kitano steeled himself for what was coming next.

"Hello, sensei," the man said in intimidating tone. "Your first born has returned."


	6. Haru

Halo Five: Haru:

-Haru-

They took everything from me.

I was only four years old when they turned me into a monster. I didn't want this life. For most of my life, I have only seen the walls of Chou Mori. Our mother never took care of us. She couldn't. Our mother was only fifteen and wasn't at all there. I did touch her cheek one time. She nursed Honoka and I, that much was true. But then when we were three years old, they took us and turned us into monsters.

-August 10th, 1989-

My sister and I were taken into a room full of beds. We woke up here and didn't remember how we got there. I turned my head in the darkness. To my relief, I could see Honoka's desperate eyes staring back at me. I grabbed onto her hand.

"No cry," I said. That was all that I could say at the time. My sister started to calm down as I held her hand back. This would be the only thing that would only calm her down. She couldn't speak or fend for herself. I was more developed than she was. I couldn't talk well enough but Honoka couldn't talk or respond to many things. She only knew of me.

Then he walked into the room. He held a giant needle in his hand. A needle filled with deep red liquid. I panicked as I tried to get up. My body was strapped down to my bed. I didn't let go of my sister's hand the whole time. They injected her first and then me. Three days of pain and hell awaited us.

It felt like I was being held underwater and being beaten all over. I couldn't breathe. My body ached everywhere. Sweat covered my skin. The only thing that kept me together was my sister's hand. She made gurgling noises. Honoka still didn't let go of my hand. I wanted to talk to her but my throat felt like it was burning. Tears ran down our cheeks.

By three days, most of the other victims in the room were dead. Half of them had rotted away and turned to much. Mouths hung wide open with empty eyes. Some didn't even have eyes anymore. The man to my right was in his seventies. He never hurt anyone. He just wandered around the activity room mumbling to himself. They took him and brought him here. He didn't deserve this. Frightened, I turned to my left. To my relief, Honoka was still alive but barely.

* * *

-Present Day-

A man with dressed in a long black coat with black hair stood over a twenty-five-year-old woman's body at her feet. Kitano ran down to the lobby. It didn't take him long to connect the dots as the man looked up at him with dead eyes.

"Hello, sensei," he said in an intimidating, monotone voice. "Your first born has returned." Kitano stepped back, shaking.

"Adam?" was all he asked. He could see fire in the man's eyes.

"That is not my name," he hissed. "It is Haru. Not, Adam. My name is Noda Haru!" The receptionist stared at him silent behind the desk as she stared at his naked left hand at his side. Kitano ignored him.

"Adam, I understand you are mad," he said in a calm voice. "But Doi-san has noting to do with your grievance. She's just a young woman getting over anxiety. You didn't have to kill her."

"But I do," Haru said. "She does not deserve to be poisoned by your false words. I did her a favor by saving her from you."

"If you want revenge then why not kill me?" Kitano asked. Haru sneered. He looked down at the body.

"No," he said. "Death is too good for you. I prefer to make you the scape goat." Haru kicked the body out of his way.

"She won't be the last," he said. "Good night." Haru turned and walked out the door. The receptionist picked up the phone.

"Don't bother," Kitano said. The receptionist paused.

"But…" she said. He put up his hand.

"It won't do any good," the therapist said. "The police will be useless in this case." He pulled out his phone.

"Asato-sensei," the therapist said. "He is back. Yes, it's that bad." Kitano turned and walked back to his office.

* * *

-August 23rd, 1989-

"She doesn't really respond," she said with her flashlight in my sister's eyes.

"But she survived the Amaterasu test," Kitano-sensei said. She turned off her flashlight and turned to her partner.

"Could it be a fluke?" she asked.

"No, she's fits the requirements of to survive the drug," he said. "Being youth, healthy, and the right genetics." He turned his attention to me.

"Now him on the other hand," Kitano-sensei said. He walked over and took me by the cheeks. "He's developed enough like a normal four-year-old." She walked over to me and took a look. I could only try and look past them at my sister. Ever since that third drug, Honoka sat silent in a daze. She doesn't move. She just sits on the floor and doesn't react. The mean adults could poke her in the arm with needles and she wouldn't scream.

The partner turned and looked at my sister.

"I think we need to separate them," she said. I froze. No… Kitano-sensei looked over at Honoka.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I just want to try something," she said. "It might be helpful to us." Honoka didn't respond. Did she even know what could happen? Kitano-sensei walked over to her and looked into her eyes. My heart started pounding. Don't do this to us. Please!

"We will try it for a day," Kitano-sensei said at last.

"Yes sir," she said. No… Please don't. She can't survive without me. No. Don't do this. No. No…

She walked and took Honoka by the hand. She walked my sister out of the room. That would be the last time I would see her for the day.

* * *

-Present Day-

Etsuko met up with Kitano on the roof of Rampo Biotech. Kitano stood over the railing looking out. He looked up when he heard the footsteps.

"Are you sure it was Adam?" Etsuko asked.

"Yes," Kitano said. The doctor walked over to join him.

"Who did he kill this time?" she asked. The therapist sighed.

"Doi-san," he replied.

"Aw, that's the shame," Etsuko said. "I actually did like her."

"Yeah," Kitano said.

"What should we do?" the doctor asked. The therapist turned his head.

"Nothing," he said.

"What?" Etsuko asked, looking confused. Her partner put up his hand.

"What can we do against Adam?" he asked. "He can kill with just one touch from his left hand. We can't get close enough. Besides, we can't take the time to stop and deal with Adam. We still have to find that last gate."

"So… what are you suggesting?" Etsuko asked.

"Keep watch over him. Track him," Kitano suggested. "He'll lead us back to the other pets. And even Eve."

"Oh yes," the doctor said. "I almost forgot about her."

"He'll find her again," Kitano said. "He always does."

* * *

-September 8th, 1989-

"Point to the red rectangle."

We have done this test for three days now. This was not normal. Then again, Honoka and I never had a normal childhood. We never saw our mother again. To this day, I still can't remember her face, not even with this new perfect memory I have. We never met our father either.

"Point to the red rectangle."

I slowly reached out to the piece of paper in front of me. My fingertip touched the red rectangle.

"Try again."

I would hear this about six more times. I wouldn't know it at the time. They didn't teach me much like any normal child. I couldn't tell what a character or a number was. They would just tell me if I was right or not. I didn't care. I just wanted to sleep.

"Point to the red rectangle."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I didn't look up as it opened. The footsteps walked over to my table.

"Come on, Adam," Kitano-sensei said. He took me by the arm and dragged me along. I didn't have a choice. And why did he call me Adam? He would take me away for more experiments.

* * *

-Present Day-

Shinra awoke to a cell phone ringing on his desk. Faintly at first, with each buzz reverberating his ears raucous enough to jolt up from his seat. Rubbing his forehead slightly, he looked around to find his phone. A stale sigh escape from Shinra's lips when he noticed the time from seeing the clock. He had fallen asleep in front of the computer once again.

"Hello?" Shinra says groggily.

"Yeah. Is this Kishitani-sensei?" the voice of an unknown man asked.

"Who's asking?" he asked. "And which sensei?" The unknown man paused for a few seconds before replying back. "

"The son, of course," he said. "Is this him I'm talking to?" Shinra narrowed his eyes.

"And who is this?" he asked. Something felt wrong despite being a harmless question. His next line confirms this suspicion.

"My name is Azuma Shuichi," the man on the other line said. His tone had shifted into something more strident. "You have something that we want."

"And what would that be?" Shinra asked. Instinctively, he reaches for a scalpel. Peering down at the dark hall, he could slightly see their room. Right now, Celty was still in bed. Not wanting to get her involved, he decided for himself that this is a matter that should be resolved alone.

"Names," Shuichi said. "Give us the names of the former Chou Mori staff."

"And why would I want to do that?" Shinra asked. There was a pause on the other line.

"Look, you and we have a common enemy," Shuichi said. "We have some information but it is not complete. You have what we need with the rest of the staff. They turned us into monsters." That last word caught Shinra's ear.

"Monsters, huh?" he asked. "Tell me, would you happen to be tadpoles?" There was another pause on the other line.

"And why would we tell you that?" Shuichi asked. Shinra smiled and shrugged.

"Oh, I was thinking that if you were, my dad and I could help you," he said. The man all but laughed on the other line.

"You? Help us? That's real rich!" he shouted. "Why would we believe you?"

"And how can I believe you?" Shinra asked. "We could keep going in circles like this. Or you could us help you. The way I see it, you clearly want revenge. Why else would you want the names of former Chou Mori staff? So what do you say?" Shinra could hear whispering on the other line. He watched the screen saver on his computer.

"Fine," Shuichi said at last. "We will let you help us. But if you betray us, we will not hesitate to kill you." Shinra smiled to himself.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

* * *

-Haru-

We can't be normal anymore. They took that from us. My left hand has become a devil hand. Everything I touch with that hand dies. I accidentally killed the only person to help me once I left Chou Mori. She said I reminded her of her son. After Chou Mori closed down, most of the tadpole patients went home. But where were Honoka and I going to go? Chou Mori was the place that we called home. We never saw our mother again. We don't even know what happened to her. My sister and I went in different directions. For two years, I didn't know where Honoka went. I was alone. I ended up wandering around in the Northern part of Japan. I didn't have any plans of what I would do next. I thought that I didn't have anything left. Still, I couldn't die. Something inside of me wouldn't let that happen. I found myself stuck.

But then, there was Yuka-san.

Her son died ten years ago. A car accident from what I heard. Her husband died years earlier on the job. Yuka-san didn't have any other family left. She found me when she was walking home from a local market. I probably looked like a ghost walking down the road with the sun setting. This old lady didn't scream as she looked me up and down. My mouth felt so dry that I couldn't open it. Then, this woman asked me a question that threw me for a loop.

"Would you like something to eat?"

I stared at her with big eyes. She didn't look at me in disgust or fake sympathy. This lady wanted to give me something to eat. I could only nod.

"Why don't you come home with me?" she asked. That old woman didn't have to ask me twice. She lived in a small house near the highway. Rice and salmon were a welcome meal from the food in Chou Mori or nothing at all.

"Wow, you really haven't eaten in days, have?" she asked. I gave her a sheepish look over my bowl.

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

"No, it's okay," this old lady said. "What is your name?"

"Ad—" I started to say. No, that wasn't my name. That monster called me that when he tortured me with his experiments. But now I was free. I had what was left of my life back. I had my name back.

"Haru," I said. "My name is Haru." The old lady smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Haru," the old lady said. "My name is Yuka." I ended up living with her for two years. I did everything to repay her. I helped her with chores around the house. I didn't have to do it. But I wanted to. She was the one who fed me and put a roof over my head. Yuka-san even helped be to more sociable and know how to act in the outside world. Everything I had lacked in Chou Mori was given to me in the short two years I lived with Yuka-san. This was the first time I knew what love was. I still had the nightmares of my past. But those started to lessen over time. Pretty soon, I could sleep well. That was the first time I slept peacefully. Apparently I slept so well that I didn't wake up for three days. When I woke up, I found Yuka-san sitting on my bed.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked. I blinked at first.

"Yeah, I guess…" I said. "How long had I been asleep?"

"Three days," she said in a calm voice.

"Three days? Wow!" I said. I noticed her staring at me in a longing way.

"What is it?" I asked. "Do I have something on my face?" The old lady snapped out of it and shook her head.

"Oh, I am so sorry," she said. "It's just…" I raised my eyebrow.

"What?" I asked. I noticed the somber look on her face.

"You look so much like him," Yuka-san told me.

"Like who?" I asked.

"My son, Sanjiro," she said. "He would've been your age this year."

"What happened to him?" I asked. Yuka-san lowered her head.

"He died in an accident," she said. "It was New Year's Eve. He and his fiancée were driving home from a party. It was late and no one was on the road. There were near their apartment when they came across a car stalled in the road. Sanjiro couldn't stop and he swerved to miss. He lost control and crashed into a ditch." Tears welled up in Yuka-san's eyes.

"They didn't make it," she said. I lowered the sheet I was folding.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. Yuka-san smiled and shook her head.

"It's fine," she said. "It's taken me years. But I can finally let go and let him be at peace." My hostess walked over to the shrine and lit fresh incense for her son, would've-been daughter-in-law, and husband. I walked over and paid my respects.

Aside from that moment, I wished that my current situation could go on like this. But on January of this year ended all of this.

I can't remember exactly what led to my "awakening". Or rather I didn't want to remember. But I had felt sick the night before. I couldn't even get out of bed. The smell of bleach was enough to make me vomit.

"Haru? Haru, are you okay in there?" I heard Yuka-san ask as she knocked on my bedroom door. "What's wrong?" The sounds made me writhe in my bed as I tried to cover my head. I know I must have scared her off with my screaming. I hadn't felt this much pain since I was back in Chou Mori under those horrible experiments. In my misery, I had awful thought. What if…

I tried to chase out memories of my childhood there to no avail.

By midnight, I was able to get out of bed. Well, more like sit up and fall out of bed. My strength hadn't come back. I lay on the tatami mats, panting.

"Haru?" I heard from downstairs. "Haru, is that you? Are you okay up there?"

"Uh… yeah!" I shouted. "Just give me a minute!" I counted to three to myself before slowly helping myself to my feet. I grunted and struggled but finally I was standing up. I took baby steps towards my door. Just in time for Yuka-san to open it wide.

"Yuka-san?" she asked. She moved her hand to her chest.

"You're up," she said. "I'm so glad. Are you feeling better?"

"A little bit," I said. I started to take a step forward but I lost my balance.

"Whoa!" I shouted.

"Haru!" Yuka-san shouted. She ran and grabbed my left hand to break my fall. Suddenly, Yuka-san froze and collapsed at my feet. I fell back on the floor in horror.

"Yuka-san?" I asked. I crawled over and shook her on the shoulder. "Yuka-san? Yuka-san?" I shook her as hard as I could but she didn't stir. The realization didn't take long to hit me.

"No…" I murmured. I started shaking my head. Suddenly, my phone rang. (Yuka-san gave me that phone for Christmas the year before.) I turned and found it on the floor from it falling over when I tried to break my fall.

"H-H-Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, Adam," I heard on the other line. My blood ran cold.

"You!" I hissed. "How did you even get this number?!" That chuckling on the other line made me want to vomit again.

"I will find you, no matter what," Kitano-sensei said in a low voice. "All of you." I should've hung up the phone then and there. It would've saved the misery that would soon fall.

"Do you want to know why I am calling you, Adam?" that bastard asked. I trembled as I started shaking my head.

"No…" I said.

"Congratulations," Kitano-sensei went on as if I had never answered him. "You are the last one to experience your awakening. It took you long enough but here we are."

"Awakening?" I asked. "What are you talking about?!"

"You kind of surprised me, Adam," he said. "I expected you to awaken first. Oh well, it is what it is."

"What did you do to me?!" I asked.

"It's just the fruits of the Tadpole Project starting to bloom," Kitano-sensei said.

"What do you mean?!" I asked. I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I started panting and looking around the room.

"We will be in touch soon," was all that he said before hanging up. I stared at my phone and gulped. I knew that I couldn't stay in that house. I forced myself to get up and ran out of the house as best as I could. When I was a good distance away, I called for an ambulance to take the body away. They official ruled her death as nature causes with a broken heart. Only I knew the truth but couldn't say anything. They wouldn't believe me anyway.

Ever since then, my life has been hell. I have to wear gloves to keep my demon hand from killing anyone. I tried to cut off my left hand but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I had the knife in my hand. I even bit down on a towel and got myself drunk to numb the pain. In the end, I could not do it. So, I ended up isolating myself and wandering Japan again.

I did find my sister three months ago. Honoka had been wandering on the streets of Japan alone for two years since Chou Mori was shut down. It amazed me to see her down in Okinawa. She looked like she had been fed well. I worried about Honoka every day. She maybe a grown woman but she still had the mind of a child. I didn't know who was taking care of her. All I could do was hope that she found a good person to live with like I did.

I found her when I come up to a meat shop on the beach. I was hungry at the time but I didn't have much money. I figured that I would just pick up the scraps in the kitchen. I would in and out with no one the wiser.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp chill go up my spine. What was that just now? I looked around for a bit with my heart pounding. Wait… Was he…?

"Nii-san?" I heard behind me. No way. That can't be… I turned around and my jaw just dropped. My darling younger sister stood inches away from me. I was more surprised that she could remember who I was. Seeing her again filled me with so much joy.

"Haru? Nii-san is that you?" she asked, sounding excited. But then a sadness crept into my heart. She was a monster like me now. It wouldn't be long before the world started to turn on us and treated as such. I couldn't let Honoka suffer that fate. It hurt me to come to this. I drew a breath as I took my left glove off. Tears filled my eyes as I walked up to Honoka.

"I'm so sorry, Honoka," I whispered to her. I rested my hand against her chest.

But nothing happened.

"Huh?" I asked. I touched her again. Still nothing. My dear sister was still alive. Honoka stared up at me with those big eyes of hers.

"Nii-san?" she asked. I dropped my naked hand at my side and laughed. My demon hand betrayed me when I needed it the most. I couldn't kill my sister.

I couldn't get rid of my demon hand or spare my sister from the coming hell. Killing that devil's patients and saving them from his poison is my own way to get revenge.


	7. Angels

Halo Six: Angels:

-Junko-

Junko sat back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.

"We need more meat," she complained. The nurse looked around at the angels hissing and scratching at the bars. Yui and Naoki stood, nervously. Their boss eyed the female intern in a cold way.

"Have you destroyed all of those dolls yet?" she asked.

"No," Yui said, shaking her head. Junko narrowed her eyes.

"And how many dolls are left?" she asked. Her intern counted on her fingers.

"115," she said. "I think…" Junko threw back her head and groaned.

"Seriously?!" she asked.

"I'm so sorry," Yui said, bowing her head. Naoki patted her on the shoulder. Their boss rubbed her forehead and looked around at all the angels in the cages.

"We can't go further with the experiments unless they are fed properly," she complained. The hissing and growling rose around them.

"Oh shut up!" Junko shouted. Suddenly, her phone rang. She took a breath and picked it up.

"Hello?" she asked.

"You sound tense," Kitano said on the other line. Junko sighed and rolled her eyes.

"We're running out of meat," she said.

"Why don't you go get some?" he asked. The nurse frowned as she looked at her two interns staring at her.

"I can't do that without drawing too much attention, remember?" she asked. "The last thing I need is to have the police poking around here asking questions of people disappearing."

"Fair enough," the therapist said. "I call to check up on how your branch was doing. Since you got F to awaken, I am willing to help you. I will take care of it. You will have more meat for the angels in one day's time." Junko bowed her head.

"Thank you, Kitano," she said. "Is there anything you want me to do for you?"

"No," he said. "That is all. Goodbye."

"Thank you, goodbye," Junko said. She hung up but frowned. Kitano brought up another issue on hand. Sure, F had reverted. But she wasn't feeding. Her brother and her friends kept a close watch over her. This would not do.

"Kawaguchi," Junko said. Naoki lifted his head.

"Yes, sensei?" he asked.

"I have a small job for you to do," she said. The nurse leaned forward with a smirk on her face. "I am going to need you to take a little field trip. Are you up for that?" The male intern slowly nodded.

"Good," his boss said. "You already have some idea of what I want. How you choose to execute it is at your discretion."

"Yes, sensei," Kawaguchi said. Junko pulled out her phone.

"I have F's address right here," she said.

* * *

-Chiharu-

The pain grew worse. She felt like her body was on fire. Chiharu couldn't eat or drink anything. Her friends would come by and check on her.

"You have to fight this," Mikado whispered. "We couldn't stop you before but maybe it isn't too late." The angel shook her head.

"No?" Mikado asked. Chiharu's right hand gave into trimmers again. The tadpole held it into place. He saw the desperation in her eyes.

"I… can't… hold… on…" she muttered. Her speech started getting slower. Tears of pain formed in her eyes.

"You can't think that way," Mikado said. His words sounded so hollow. Both of them knew it was lie. Chiharu fought the good fight of not feeding on anyone. But how long was that going to last?

"You know what?" Mikado asked at last. "Let's not focus on that right now. The tadpole looked around for a bit.

"There have been strange things going on around here lately," he said in a whisper. He didn't care if that was not a way to start a conversation. Mikado needed to keep Chiharu's mind off of her current situation. She looked at him with those blank eyes filled with tears.

"I keep seeing more children with those orange lanterns around lately," Mikado added. "I don't think those will do anymore." His mind went back to that Amanojaku with the knife. Because of that attack, Chiharu was like this. It was because of him that Chiharu gave into her bloodlust. It was because of him that things were going to get worse.

"Don't… think… you… are… to… blame…" she spoke up. Mikado turned his head. Chiharu looked him in the eye but said nothing. He wanted to believe her but he had so much more on his mind.

"Hashimoto-san," Mikado said at last. "I'm going to stay with you for a little bit longer. Does that sound good to you? That sounds good to me." They didn't say anymore as Mikado sat down next to her. Instinct told him to stay by as long as he could.

* * *

-Kana-

Kana stood in the darkened bathroom in her nightgown. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. She felt so numb all over. The dreams started coming back. Only this time, she hadn't been drinking in weeks. It was her therapist's idea.

"Are you still having visions?" Aya asked. Kana froze with her head down.

"Yes," she said in a quiet voice. The therapist took a moment to think.

"Why not try to stop drinking for a while and then see what happens," she suggested. Kana looked up at her with a weary look on her face. Aya's angelic smile didn't put her at ease.

"Are you sure?" Kana asked dryly. Aya gently put her hand on hers.

"Do you want to get better?" she asked. Kana stared at her wide-eyed.

"Y-Y-Yes," she whimpered. Aya leaned in close to her face.

"Let me help you," she said. "Stop drinking for a while. Clear your mind. You don't need alcohol in your life. Think of how much more your life can be without it." Kana blinked for a moment.

"Do you think the drinking is causing my visions?" she asked.

"It might," her therapist said. "Only one way to find out, isn't there?"

That only made things even worse.

Now, the visions grew stronger. So strong that Kana could still feel them crawling on her skin. The alcohol would numb everything. But now, she had nothing else to fall back on.

Last night's the worst that she experienced.

Her skin felt like I was burning. The thin air hurt her lungs. The different flashes in the sky made her watering eyes hurt. Those four dragons circled the sky. The eyes of paranoia could see the destruction of Ikebukuro. The burning religious symbols of intolerance held her attention captive to the horrors around her. The mirrors of vanity made it impossible for her to tun away. The gold of greed shined over the crumbling buildings.

She wasn't alone, however.

At one end of the city stood a woman with a long red flowing dress. Blood couldn't rival the color of her dress. Speaking of which, blood streaked her arms and face. She laughed as she reveled in the carnage and destruction.

"Rise!" she screamed above the flames. "Join me in my dance of the destruction!" Her voice alone set Kana running away. She tried to look for any sign of life in vain. But then she saw her…

At the other end of the city stood another woman. Kana couldn't see her face. The black hoodie this woman wore did an excellent job of that. She kept her hands in the pockets of her black jeans. Despite not seeing her face, Kana could still hear what the woman was saying.

"Burn."

Such a dream sent Kana running to the bathroom in a panic. After washing her face with cold water, the distressed woman happened to look down. It was then she noticed her anti-anxiety meds spilled out all over the wet sink. Kana didn't even remember reaching into the medicine cabinet, pulling out the bottle, and dropping it with shaking hands.

* * *

-Shinra-

Shinra and Celty sat on the couch in their living room. Yamato and his crew sat across from them. The doctor didn't want to drag his girlfriend into this. But was needed for his own protect against these rogue tadpoles. He decided to try and make it up to her later.

[Are you sure this is a good idea?], Celty typed on her PDA.

"This was the only way to get them to come here," Shinra whispered.

[Can you even trust them?], she typed.

"That's why I have you with me," the doctor whispered back. His dullahan girlfriend poked him hard in the side with her shadow.

"Ow," Shinra said, clenching his teeth. He turned to see his girlfriend frowning with her non-existent face. The doctor pressed his palms together and bowed his head.

"I am so sorry!" he said. "Please let me make it up to you later." Someone cleared their throat across from them. The couple looked up to see their guests giving them judgmental looks.

"Are you done?" Yamato asked. Shinra cleared his throat.

"I apologize," he said. "I'm sure you all have plenty of questions for me. Let's get started, shall we? Who wants to go first?" None of the tadpoles spoke.

"Okay then…" Shinra said.

"Why is she here?" Shuichi asked, pointing to Celty. The doctor put his hand on her shoulder.

"This is my lovely girlfriend," he said proudly. "She's here to protect me." That statement was met with questionable looks.

"You're that scared of us?" Yamato asked.

"No," Shinra said. "But I don't need to have tadpole powers to tell that you are afraid of me." The lead tadpole of the group wrinkled his nose.

"Like hell we are," he muttered. The doctor chose not to comment.

"Is this what you want?" he asked. Shinra reached into a bag on the floor and pulled out a light brown folder. He slid it across the table. Yamato picked up the folder. The tadpoles read the information as he opened it. They noticed the first page was filled with a long list of names of people worked in Chou Mori before it shut down.

"How far back does this go?" Shuichi asked.

"All the way back to 1965," Shinra said in a matter of fact tone. Yamato flipped through all of the pages.

"He's telling the truth," he said. The doctor paced himself as he watched them.

"Before you ask, there are more tadpoles here," he said aloud. Everyone looked up at him.

[Shinra! What are you doing?!] Celty typed PDA.

"It's okay, Celty," Shinra said. "They were going to look it up anyway. Might as well tell them." He turned back to Yamato's group.

"Now my question is are you going to recruit them for your revenge hunt?" he asked.

[What?!] his girlfriend typed frantically.

"I apologize for not telling you earlier," Shinra said. "I had hoped not to involve you any further in this." The doctor sighed.

"That looks like that's not going to happen, now is it?" he asked. "Well, might as well get it all out there." Shinra focused on their guests.

"I am going to come out and say it," he added. "I don't know if they all are on board with the whole murder thing. Some of them might think about it. I definitely know one who will do it. The others, not so much." The male tadpoles frowned.

"And your point is?" Tomoya asked. Shinra leaned forward.

"You might as well stay in Ikebukuro," he said. "Whether you do or not is your choice. But my father will want a word with you sooner or later."

"And you are telling us this, why?" Shuichi asked. The doctor shrugged.

"Might as well, I guess," he said. "After all, you are going to find all of this out anyway." The small group of tadpoles frowned. Who was this doctor?

* * *

-Mizuho-

Mizuho walked up to Tatsuya's apartment and knocked on the door. She paced around as she thought about what she wanted to say. Mizuho happened to look over to my right. A man and a child stood at the door of that apartment. At first, she thought nothing of it. The man was wearing a long black coat despite it being summer. His hat was tilted to the back.

Then, there was the kid.

Mizuho couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. They were playing around with a stuffed white doll that had no face. But, there was that expression on that child's face. There was just… nothing. This kid's eyes looked so dead. No smile or delight as they played with that doll. They didn't look like they were enjoying that doll in their hands. That child looked up at Mizuho.

Mizuho turned her head when the door opened. Tatsuya stood in the doorframe.

"Hello," she said in a low voice.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I came to see you," Mizuho said.

"Why?" Tatsuya asked. She clenched her fists at her sides.

"You barely talk to me anymore! What am I supposed to think?" Mizuho asked. She felt herself shaking.

"I do not have time for this," Tatsuya muttered. He tried to close the door on her, but Mizuho stuck her foot inside.

"Hey!" he said.

"Let me in!" Mizuho screamed.

"Go away!" Tatsuya shouted.

"Why do you keep shutting me out?!" she yelled. "I want to help you! Just let me in!"

"No!" Tatsuya shouted. He tried to push her out, but Mizuho managed to force herself in.

"Get out of here!" her old friend yelled. But then, Mizuho froze. Chiharu sat in the corner, trembling and looking disheveled. She looked like heroin addict the way she bit on her hand. All of the color was drained from her skin. Her shirt hung off of her right shoulder. She had her knees to her chest. Never had Mizuho seen her eyes look so vacant. her jaw dropped.

"What happened to her?" she asked. Tatsuya sighed and flopped down on the couch.

"I don't really know myself," he said. "Mikado and Masaomi didn't fully explain anything to me when they brought her home." Mizuho walked over and sat down with him.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked. Tatsuya shrugged and shook his head.

"What can you do?" he asked. "I don't even know what's wrong with her. What can you do?" Mizuho took hold of his arm.

"Let me stay by your side," she said. "Please?" Tatsuya rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he muttered.

"Thank you," Mizuho said with a bow. Her old friend frowned. Meanwhile, Chiharu still chewed on her hand.

* * *

-Izaya and Mari-

Izaya sat back on Mari's bed.

"I'm bored," he complained.

"Uh-huh," Mari said as she typed away more code on her laptop. He rolled over onto his stomach.

"Did I tell you about the police coming to my place at two in the morning?" Izaya asked.

"Uh-huh," she said. The programmer didn't even turn around. The information broker frowned.

"Come to bed with me," he said.

"Can't," Mari said.

"Working again?" Izaya asked.

"Uh-huh," she said. Her sex friend walked over to her desk. He got a good look at her screen. So many zero's and one's. This was why she never answered his calls anymore. Izaya frowned.

"Did you want something?" Mari asked. Izaya sighed and dropped his shoulders.

"I think I am being targeted," he admitted. She paused with her typing.

"Who do you think it is this time?" the programmer asked.

"I have no idea," Izaya said. "I doubt the Awakusu would go that far to fake a kidnapping over at my place and bomb the other apartment."

"Is that right?" Mari asked. "It's not us." The information broker raised his eyebrow.

"You sound so certain of that," he said.

"That's because I am," she said in a low voice. Mari turned and looked him in the eye. "We've been too busy with the game to focus on you." The way she said made her sound like she was telling the truth. But in his line of work, he couldn't be trusting.

"If you say so," Izaya said, putting up his hands. Mari's gaze didn't break. Her sex friend sighed.

"Yes, you can get back to work," he said.

"Thank you," Mari said. She turned back to her laptop and went back to typing. Izaya watched her while in thought. Mari sounded like she was telling the truth. But then again, she could be instructed to lie to him.

* * *

-Mikado-

He walked down the street with his earbuds in. Things still were unease between him and Anri. Masaomi was out checking on Saki again. Mikado just wanted to be alone. His eyes needed a break from all of that porn Cheri had him watch nightly.

_Why did she want me to "improve" in bed so much?_

Mikado shuddered at the thought. He didn't need more problems added onto his plate. There were more pressing issues on his hands.

"Since when you wear earbuds out in public?" a voice asked. Mikado froze and jerked his head upwards. A woman stood in front of him, smiling. Her dark purple and black hair came down to her waist. Those caramel-colored lips begged for a kiss. He couldn't tell if she was wearing make-up or not. Mikado tried not to look at the large lacy black bra under the woman's long white dress.

"Fuyuko?" he asked. The woman smiled.

"So happy that you remember me," she said. Mikado's right eye started to twitch as started to remember, yes, he slept with her too.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Fuyuko asked. His face turned bright red.

"How did you find me?" he asked. She flipped back her long purple and black hair.

"We're always going to you, Mikado-kun," Fuyuko said. The tadpole boy frowned. Fuyuko tilted her head.

"What's with those earbuds in your ears?" she asked. Mikado felt the black earbud in his right ear.

"Oh," he said. "It's to keep them out."

"What are you playing?" Fuyuko asked.

"Just Top 40's music, variety stuff, anything really," he said. She patted him on the shoulder.

"Baby," Fuyuko said. "I know you are having a hard time with this but you will need something stronger." She took hold of his arm.

"Come hang out with me for a bit," Fuyuko purred in his ear. "You'll be much safer. At least until you get home." Mikado gave her a nervous look. Like he had much of a choice. She gave a little smile.

"I want to get to know you again," Fuyuko said. She pulled him along with him down the street.

* * *

-Visions-

More people started having visions they couldn't explain. Some them more clearly than others.

Shoichi found himself standing in heavy of a heavy oak door. He could hear a low humming noise from inside. When the IT tech went up to touch the door, he might as well have been touching a sheet of ice. A sense of dread washed over him.

No…

Shoichi slowly lifted his hand for the brass knob. Sweat formed on his brow as the knob creaked loose. Too late to turn back now. Cold air hit his face. The bright lights blinded him. Shoichi had to shield his eyes.

The room inside was pure white. Three metal chairs sat in the middle. The IT Guy looked up when he heard another door opening on the other side of the room. Three men in black dress suits walking over to the chairs and sat down. Heavy, violent winds blew up around the first man. Ravens and crows began to fight around his head. The wind and feathers didn't faze him.

Flames engulfed the second man. He didn't scream out. He sat as calmly as the first man. Icy water splashed down upon the third man and he didn't respond. The site itself was baffling. But then Shoichi saw it. A large black dog stared at him from across the room. This animal wasn't hard to miss. The silver glowing eyes locked on the IT guy. The dog began to growl. Though it didn't charge, it was enough to make to Shoichi back out of the room.

Shoichi wasn't the only having strange visions.

Elsewhere, Saki kept hearing scratching at her first door at 3:27 in the morning every day.

* * *

-Phone Call-

Kitano looked at his phone. "Oh well, looks like I will have to call him again."

Meanwhile, Mikado's phone rang. He reached for it next to his computer.

"Hello?" the tadpole asked.

"Chiharu has gone missing," Tatsuya said on the other line.


	8. Anri

Halo Seven: Anri:

She's trying to keep it together. Mikado is still awkward around her. The little time they really talked was were he took her to the clinic to get a prescription for the morning after pill.

"I am so sorry, Anri," Mikado said in the waiting room.

"It's okay," she said. The waiting room was virtually empty that morning. The teenaged pair had gotten in as soon as it opened. They couldn't go to Shinra because he didn't have the license to prescribe something legal. The tadpole shook his head.

"No, it's not okay," he said. "I raped you. Why didn't you stop me?" The last parts came out in a whisper. He started to replay the events from the night before in his head. Anri rubbed his back.

"You didn't," she said. "You weren't in a good place at the time."

"How can you say that? Why didn't you stop me?" he asked. "You knew it wasn't right. But you still let me go through it. Just… Why?" The doctor came into the room.

"Sonohara-san," she said. Anri stood up and walked to the back with her. She looked over her shoulder at Mikado.

"Come on," she said. Mikado shook his head.

"Are you sure?" she asked. The tadpole boy nodded once. Anri followed the doctor without a single word. Moments later, she came back out with the paperwork in hand.

"Are you ready to go?" Mikado asked as he stood up.

"Yeah," she said. The pair headed out of the clinic and straight to the drug store. Minutes later, Anri had her morning after pill.

It's been awkward ever since.

Even Kida's jokes weren't helping anymore. Not with what Chiharu had become now. Plus, everything didn't feel right around the city again. That fact came as a reminder this morning.

Anri awoke to hearing her phone buzzing. She reached over to her nightstand for it. It felt strange to be back in her own bed for a change. Masaomi stayed with Mikado last night. He gave her the night off, in fact.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

"Yes, it's fine," Masaomi said. "Saki is doing fine and I have a couple of my guys looking after her. You can take a rest." She wanted to argue back but figured that it wouldn't produce much.

"I'll be back in the morning," she told him instead.

"Call me as soon as you get home," the blonde Shogun said back. "Please be careful tonight."

"I will," she said. Saika's mother bowed and walked home.

This morning, Anri flipped open her phone after she put on her glasses.

"One new message?" she asked. Saika's mother opened the message. A confused look came onto her face.

"What… is this?" she asked herself. At first, the message looked like it was all coded. Smilies and weird symbols covered her screen. Anri scrolled through the message looking for something coherent. She didn't know why she didn't close out of it. Her eyes and fingers stayed glued to her the screen

"What happened to my phone?" was the thought that crossed her mind at one point. Anri was about to get up to take it to the store to have it reset when she got to the bottom on the message. Four little words gave her pause.

The Woman in Red.

Right then, a strange memory ran through her head.

Anri saw herself in hospital bed. Tubes were sticking out of her arms. A yellowish pink liquid was being pumped into her body. Her breathing sounded labored. She felt so fragile in the bed. A heart monitor beeped off to her right. There was a mirror on the other side of the room. The sight awaiting her just made it even worse. Her skin looked so ashen gray with her face so sullen. Her eyes lost of life to them. She could see her bones underneath her skin. Anri couldn't even hear Saika's voice anymore.

This poison… It's killing me. But why? Why are they doing this to me?

But there was another thought on her mind as well. My son… Where is my son?

This wasn't the first time she had this vision either. Anri first had this memory the night after she lost her virginity to Mikado. The first time scared her so much that she couldn't even look the tadpole boy in the face. Where did this memory even come from? She would've chalked it up to a nightmare she had. But it just felt too real.

She tried to keep it to herself. No time to worry about memories when Mikado kept coming undone before her eyes. First, she had to break the awkwardness between them. Masaomi didn't help with that one question that lingered in the air.

"Are you and Mikado dating now?" he asked. Anri's face turned bright red.

"I… I… I don't know!" she yelped. "We just slept together that one night and now…" Masaomi gave her a stern look.

"Don't abandon him, Anri," he said in a hushed tone. "He needs you." How many times was everyone going to tell her that? Celty, Mika, and now Masaomi. The pressure kept building up on her. Anri didn't know how she could take this anymore. But Mikado's own needs and misery wouldn't let her give up.

It would be so easy to walk away.

* * *

"You have to side by his side," Mika said. "He needs you." She is right, but Anri feels so useless to him. But that's not the only thing she has to worry about.

"What is the matter, Mika?" Anri asked as the girls walked to the bookstore. Mika looked up at her with a confused look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Mika asked.

"You've been quiet since you got Seiji back," her friend said. "Did something happen between you?" She stopped in her tracks.

"That's not it," Mika said.

"What is it then?" Anri asked.

"This city will not last much longer," she said. Mika lifted her head. The look in her eyes began to scare her friend.

"Are you familiar with the Seven Gates of the Apocalypse?" she asked.

"No…" Anri said. Mika pressed her lips together before speaking.

"The Tandeki Group has opened six of the gates already," she said. "If they open the seventh one, we are screwed."

"What are you talking about?" Anri asked. "I don't understand you."

"The Woman in Red," Mika said. "She is coming." Every inch of Anri's body froze. She remembered that e-mail she got this morning. Something about seeing those words gave her chills. Where had she heard them before? Anri felt Mika grab her by the shoulder, pulling her back to reality.

"Anri!" she shouted. Anri looked up at her, panting.

"What?" she asked.

"You're shaking," Mika said. Saika's mother looked down at her legs. They were shaking like she said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Anri said. She sucked in a mouthful of air. "Tell me more about the Woman in Red." Mika took her hand off of her shoulder.

"How much do you remember?" she asked. Anri stared at her.

"You're starting to get your memories back, aren't you?" Mika asked. Her friend's mind went back to her being in that hospital bed, wasting away. The liquid being pumped into her body. Her longing to hold her son.

"Did I die?" Anri asked in a low voice. Mika rested her hands on her shoulders.

"Yes," she said. Somehow, it didn't surprise her.

"Do I have a son?"

"Yes."

"Who else remembers?"

"Not many. But they will soon."

Anri's stomach turned. The one thing she feared was actually true. She wasn't going to live long to see her son. She would end up wasting away in a hospital and dying alone. There was still one more thing she had to know.

"Mika," Anri spoke up.

"Hm?" Mike asked. Saika's Mother hesitated for a moment. She had an idea that countless numbers of people in Ikebukuro were going to die. But she had to know the answer to this burning question in her head.

"What's going to happen to Mikado?" Anri asked in a trembling voice. "Is he going to die too?" Mika looked her in the eye with a hint of ease.

"You will have to ask him yourself," she said.

"Stay by him?" Saika's mother asked, knowing what she needed to do.

"Yes," Mika said. So this was how it needed to be. Anri would have to keep Mikado from breaking down by staying by her. But she couldn't help but feel the gnawing uneasy of remembering her own death in her head.

* * *

-Saturday Morning-

Shion turned to her companion and smiled.

"Today's your lucky day," she said. She knelt down to her companion's eye level. "We're going to see your mother today." Shion put up her hands.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. Calm down," she said. There was a short pause.

"We're going to see her right now," Shion said. "Yeah. Come on." She held out her hand. The tiny gasp took hold of her hand.

"Hold on tight, okay?" she asked. Both vanished into thin air.

They appeared across the street from a 7-11. Shion smiled and patted the companion on the head.

"There, there," she said. "I know you're excited. But just calm down, okay?" She took a breath.

"Good," the guardian spirit said. "She will be out in a couple of minutes. But you have to promise one thing." There came another pause. Shion took a breath.

"You must not for any reason try to approach her," she said. "You can see her but don't try to run up and talk to her. It's best that she doesn't know you exist yet. Can you promise me that?" Silence. Shion gave her companion a stern look.

"You have promise me," she said. Another pause. The guardian spirit finally smiled.

"Very good," she said. She happened to look up when she heard the door jingling from across the street. A small smile spread across her face.

"Oh look, we've made it just in time," she said. Shion paused across the street. "There she is. There's your mother." Anri walked out of the 7-11 with two bags in her hands. She looked to be lost in thought as she stood outside.

"Isn't she pretty?" Shion asked. She held out her arm. "Whoa, there! Remember what you promised me. You can't go over and talk to her. She gave a sympathetic smile and knelt down to her companion.

"You will get to meet her when you are born," Shion said. "For now, you can only watch from afar. Understood?" She smiled and patted her companion on the head.

"Very good," she said. Shion held out her hand. "Come along." She gave her companion a sympathetic look.

"You will get to see her again, I promise," she said. "Now come along." They disappeared into thin air just as Anri started walking back to her apartment.

* * *

It's quiet today. Too quiet. Even with all of these people around. Anri tried to ignore Saika talking to her, warning her.

_They are watching us. We can't cut them. They are watching us._

She wasn't wrong. Anri did have the feeling of someone watching her from across the street as she was walking out of the 7-11. When she looked up, there was no one there. They didn't feel malicious though. In fact, one of them felt kind of warm. Familiar, even. Some, there were some out there that weren't so friendly.

Then, there was Mika's warning.

Who was the Woman in Red? Something about her seemed to fill her friend with dread. Mikado even flinched when heard that name in passing. He begged her not to look her up.

"You are better off not knowing," the tadpole boy told her. As much as she wanted to listen, the topic just drew her to learn more. The Woman in Red was the only thing on her mind though. Anri couldn't stop thinking about her own death either. Fragments of her memories started to come together piece by piece. Things were being done to her body. The tubes in her arms were one thing. But then, someone was cutting into her. She could feel every time the blade opened up her body. Anri couldn't see their faces. They all spoke in hushed tones. Bright light blinded her. They were about to begin another round of cuts.

"Anri!" a woman's voice yelled in reality. Anri jerked her head upwards. Across the way in the crowd stood Mikado with an older woman with long purplish-black hair. Said woman waved excited at her. Anri stared at her with a confused look on her face. Suddenly, the woman ran forward and hugged the teenaged girl. Anri stared wide-eyed as Mikado ran to catch up with the women.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked the woman. The woman smiled as she let go.

"You did," she said. "And you will again soon." Anri looked over at Mikado. The poor boy looked like he was trying to give her an explanation that would not make him look guilty. The woman grabbed Anri by the arm.

"My name is Fuyuko," she said. "Let's be friends. Come and hang out with us, Anri." Saika's mother could already tell that she didn't have much of a choice. So, the three of them walked around the city. Mikado and Anri couldn't look at each other. Fuyuko frowned at the display.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked. No answer. Fuyuko's frown deepened. Looks like it was time to change tactics. She moved her arms behind her head.

"Tell me something, Anri," the woman spoke up. "What is Mikado to you?" The teenagers stopped dead in their tracks and turned around. Anri's cheeks turned bright red.

"What?!" she cried.

"Come on, Anri," Fuyuko said. "You're not virgins anymore. I would say that you were more than just friends at this point." She leaned in closer to Saika's mother.

"If you don't want him, I'll take him," Fuyuko said in a low voice. Anri about jumped. She didn't know why she did the following next. Maybe it was sheer panic. Maybe it was the overwhelming tense she felt between her and Mikado over the weeks. But Anri grabbed Mikado's hand as fast as she could.

"You can't!" she shouted. Fuyuko put her hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" she asked. "And why is that?" Anri gulped. She struggled with what she wanted to say at first. Too late to turn back now. She might as well say it. The whole time Mikado began to panic. _You don't have to do it. This is just a mental they are playing to get us together. Please don't do it._ Anri tightened her grasp on his hand.

"You can't have him!" she blurted out. "Because… Because… He's my boyfriend!" Mikado's face turned bright red as he looked up at her. Everyone was staring at her now. Anri didn't seem to care anymore. It was out there now. She couldn't take it back. Fuyuko smiled.

"Heh," she said. "Was that so hard to do?" Anri froze, feeling she got played. Meanwhile, Fuyuko grinned to herself. Now things would get more interesting. Or worse. The woman leaned in close to Anri's ear and whispered one little thing that made the girl shiver.

"You made the right decision," Fuyuko whispered. By the time Anri turned around, the sultry woman disappeared.


	9. Namie

Halo Eight: Namie:

-Namie-

I have always hated graveyards. But thanks to my current situation, I wish I was in one. They will never find my body. That psychotic bitch grabbed me in my bed and pulled me under. That was it. My body will never be found. I wrinkle my nose is disgust at all of the faded missing posters on my face. They have stopped caring about me. That little bitch tried to hide my death from my Seiji. She kept the truth to herself. Of course she would. That little bitch whore never liked me and wanted my Seiji all to herself. She saw the opportunity and took it. Did a good job of keeping up the rouse too. She secretly paid the bills and dealt with my duties on her computer. My mail still kept coming to them. Finally, that little slut had to tell my Seiji the truth.

I felt myself getting angry again.

Because of him, my Seiji got possessed by that sleazy demon who tried to make a pass at me. I saw him the moment that he took over too. I tried to scream at him to stop but that creepy bastard took over my brother. It broke me up inside to see my Seiji possessed like that. I practically screamed out him in his ear when he would wander the city at nights. My voice never could reach him. Shinra, Shingen, and that weird little girl saved my brother to my relief.

I couldn't help but smile.

At least now I can take comfort in knowing now that my Seiji doesn't trust that little whore anymore.

Oh yeah, there are other weird stuff happening around the city below too.

* * *

-Aoba and Izaya-

Aoba walked up to Izaya's door and rang the bell.

[_Oh, look. It's the kid Izaya hired to replace me. I don't envy him at all._]

The teenaged boy puffed up his cheeks and knocked again.

"Izaya!" he shouted. "Come on!" Aoba pounded on the door again. This time, it creaked open. His boss poked his head out. The boy puffed up his cheeks.

"I have been standing out here for a while now," he complained. "You told me to show up at nine."

"Did I?" Izaya asked. "What time is it now?"

"Ten," Aoba said. He held up his phone to sound his boss. Izaya squinted as he looked at the screen. 10:13.

"Oh," the information broker said, shrugging. Aoba's right eye started twitch.

"Come!" Izaya said. "You have some much work to do today." He stepped aside and let him in. Aoba frowned as he dropped his shoulders. Like he had a choice. The former Blue Square followed his boss inside.

[_Good luck, kid. You could always poison him, you know?_]

"I hav written everything down for you on the computer," Izaya said as they walked into the living room. Aoba's right eye twitched again. _List? Am I a joke to him?_ It wasn't enough that Izaya had him working for him. But he would leave the boy a list of tasks that needed to be completed before the day was over. Kururi was quick to point out that her brother paid so well.

"That's more money you could spend on me," she said, batting her eyelashes at him. Aoba tried not to laugh nervously. Izaya walked Aoba over to his computer.

"This is everything you are doing today," the information broker said. The former Blue Square read down the list. Just as predicted, these were all meaningless and petty tasks around the apartment. Of course Izaya would never give him anything important to do. Izaya patted him on the shoulder.

"Get right to it," he said. The information broker backed up and headed to the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Aoba asked.

"Out," his boss said. "I will be back. Just do your job, Chibi Same." Aoba froze as his eye started to twitch again.

"What did you call me?" he asked. Izaya gave him a goofy grin.

"Chibi Same," he said again. "That's what your nickname from now on. Get right to work, Chibi Same!" Then Izaya headed out the door. Aoba growled as his blood started to burn.

[_Get used to it, kid. You could just always poison him, you know?_]

* * *

-Time Slip-

Kadota, Saburo, and Walker all sat in the waiting. Erika had to go inside and pick up the latest yaoi doujinshi from one of her cosplay friends.

[_Who are these weirdos?_]

"Is she out yet?" Walker asked.

"No," Kadota said. Saburo was sitting behind the wheel zoning out when something caught his eye. Up ahead on the street was a girl standing on the middle of the road. She had on a pink t-shirt and black capri pants. This girl didn't look Japanese from where Saburo could see from his van. American, maybe? When was the last time he ever saw any Japanese girls with short red hair? This girl was looking up at the sky with nothing in her hand.

"Saburo?" the driver heard behind him.

"Hm?" he asked. Kadota turned his head.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"What is she doing up there?" Saburo asked.

"Hm?" Kadota asked. He turned to the windshield. Walker took a look for himself as well. They could all see the teenaged girl looking at her hand above her head. But there was nothing in it. All three men looked confused.

"What is she doing?" Walker asked.

"Why is she looking at her hand like that?" Kadota asked. Saburo moved his hand to the horn. He honked it twice. She didn't even look up. The van driver honked again.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Hey! Hey!" This girl still didn't look up.

"What's with her?" Saburo asked.

"Maybe she's deaf?" Kadota asked. The girl outside kept looking up at her hand. Suddenly, the van door opened. The boys turned to see Erika carrying bags by her side.

"Oh, you're back," Walker said. She looked at her boys.

"What are you guys looking at?" Erika asked.

"There is some girl standing in the road up there," Saburo said. The lone female in the group turned her head for a look.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "I don't see anyone there."

"Huh?" the boys asked. The boys looked up at the road but there was no one there.

"Where did she go?" Saburo asked. All four of them were looking now. There was no way anyone could've disappeared that quickly with anyone turning their heads, could there?

* * *

-Madoka-

"Good night, everybody," Madoka said at the front door of the café.

"Thanks for your hard work!" her boss said.

"Thanks for your hard work," Madoka said back. They bowed and parted ways.

[_This poor little freak. She's been living on her own out of capsule hotels because grandma lied to her. She can't go back home. She can't go home and face that lying old lady._]

Madoka slowed down her pace. Where was she going to sleep tonight? Last night was an internet café. So far, Madoka had been doing well to survive on her own. She went to school like everything was normal. Same with going to work. She couldn't let anyone know how bad her situation was. It began to hurt to smile now. Madoka would ignore calls from her grandma. Nothing that lady could say would change my mind.

Her stomach began to growl. Looked like it was time for dinner. Madoka made her way over to McDonalds. She had gotten used to eating alone. Not a real problem. She walked up to the glass doors.

A sharp shiver raced up her spine.

Madoka turned her head. A woman her age stood across the street from her. Her light brown hair came down to her high back. The wavy curls bounced as she ran over to her. Madoka tilted her head.

"Uh… who are you?" she asked. This woman smiled as she bowed.

"Good evening," she said. "My name is Kate Erina."

"Madoka," Madoka said. "Uh… did you want something?"

"Oh," Erina said. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No…" Madoka said. "But you aren't asking because you are trying to be nice, are you?" The other tadpole chuckled.

"You got me," she said. "But let me buy you dinner and we can talk for a bit." Madoka narrowed her powerful eyes.

"Just talk, huh?" she asked.

"Yes," Erina said. "Just to get to get to know each other for a bit." The other tadpole couldn't argue. It would be nice to eat with someone for a change.

Turns out, the ladies didn't talk much. Just the standard introduction. Plus, small talk on the side. The whole time, Madoka had the feeling that Erina wanted something more.

"Why don't you come out with it?" Madoka asked.

"No," Erina said. "Not tonight." She took a bite of her burger. "How was work?"

"Good," Madoka said.

"How is the apartment search coming?"

The other tadpole shook her head. "Not really going. I'm just costing around from internet cafes, friends' apartments, and capsule hotels." She saw the look on Erina's face. Madoka rolled her eyes.

"Come on," she said. "Spit it out."

"What is there to say?" Erina said. "You already know that you either have to move back in with your Grandma or find your own place." Madoka just munched on her fries in silence. She could take her eyes off of those shining green-blue turtle earrings in Erina's ears.

After dinner, Madoka checked into the Capsule Kinuya Hotel Ikebukuro for the night. She had been saving up her money to survive for the time being. Sure, she should find something more permanent to stay. But between work, school, and Tandeki's experiments, she didn't have the time. This would have to do for now.

Madoka walked up to the front desk and checked in. Once she paid for the night, the receptionist gave her a key to capsule 616 and a small bracelet.

"Enjoy your night," she said.

"Thank you," Madoka said. The women bowed and the guest walked down the hall. After putting away her bag, Madoka went out the local bath house. And a nice bath, she came back, changed into pajamas, and settled in for the night. But, she didn't fall asleep just yet. (Tadpoles don't really need to sleep, you know.) Well, time to kill time until she decided that she would attempt to sleep. Madoka watched TV, checked her school email, finished her homework, and scrolled through social media. When she got bored, the tadpole turned off the light and drifted off to sleep.

For ten minutes at least.

Madoka awoke to hushed whispers and heavy breathing. Hm? The voice kept whispering, talking at rapid pace. The tadpole tried to listen in. It sounded like it came from next door. The voice sounded like a woman. Madoka couldn't make out exactly what her neighbor was saying. It didn't sound Japanese. The hard "r's" sounded almost German. Maybe Latin. The words went too fast, too breathless for the tadpole to keep up. Madoka groaned. What was her problem? This woman wouldn't stop trying. Her voice sounded like it was going around in circles. The tadpole sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Madoka remembered the buttons in her capsule. She used her powerful eyes to find the button for white noise. With one press, sweet relief filled the capsule. Madoka smiled at the sound of rain. She let her mind relax as she closed her eyes. The rain sounds drowned out that woman's voice.

The tadpole was about to doze off when the sound of wailing joined the rain. Wait a minute. That's not supposed to be there. Madoka ripped open her eyes and looked at the wall next door. The woman was now weeping. Was she okay? Madoka didn't know whether to knock on the wall or not.

The weeping turned into pained wailing. Madoka gritted her teeth as the sounds grew louder. She looked up at the clock. Two in the morning. The tadpole clicked her tongue. Seriously? The wailing grew even worse. There is only so much a homeless woman trying to keep up appearances can take.

Madoka slammed her hand against the wall.

"Shut up!" she screamed. "People are trying to sleep!" Instead of going quiet, Madoka was greeted with a loud thud back. So loud that her capsule shook. The tadpole grabbed onto the sheets. The thuds turned into full-on body slams as she screamed. Boy did she scream. It didn't help that Madoka's own hearing was amplified from the experiments. The screaming drowned out the rain. The tadpole covered her ears.

"Shut up!" she yelled again. Madoka backed away to the other side of her capsule but the thuds and shaking grew worse. She couldn't take it anymore. This had to stop. The tadpole opened her capsule door and climbed out. Her "Occupied" light turned off as her feet hit the floor. Everything went quiet. No more screaming. No more banging. Madoka turned her head. Her heart pounded against her chest as her eyes widened.

Her neighbor's indicator light was off. Madoka shook her head.

"No…" she said. "No, no. That can't be." Maybe the indicator light was broken or something. The tadpole walked up to the capsule and opened the door. Nothing. There was no one inside. Madoka turned and ran to the front desk. She rang the bell as fast as she could. The night shift concierge.

"What's the problem?" he asked. "What seems to be the trouble?" Madoka tried to explain the situation to the best of her ability. At first, the man looked confused.

"Hold on, what did you say?" he asked. Madoka showed him the bracelet.

"This," she said. The night shift concierge took one look and his eyes widened.

"Oh, I am so sorry, miss," he said in a low voice. "We gave you the wrong capsule. You were supposed to be in 919. Not 616. I am terribly sorry!" The way he said it and the look of terror in his eyes told him what her needed to know. His thoughts told her as much.

_We did Maki give her that capsule? Why? Why?!_

Needless to say, Madoka is now looking for an apartment to live in.

* * *

-Shinra and Celty-

It was supposed to be a rare quiet night in.

[_Oh good, more weirdos._]

Celty turned to Shinra. Lately, the doctor seemed to be away in his thoughts. He mostly spent his mornings at Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. Shinra didn't seem to be eating or sleeping much. When was the last time he took a shower? The couple didn't talk much anymore either.

Celty began to type on her PDA but paused. What could she say to him? He barely responds to her anymore. Shinra always seemed so… distant.

"I am fine," Shinra spoke up. Celty paused. The doctor didn't look up.

"I am fine, Celty," he said without looking away from the TV. "You don't need to worry about me." The dullahan didn't look so certain about that. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Shinra seemed to snap out of it.

"Who could that be?" he asked.

[I don't know,] Celty typed. The couple got up when the pounding on the door grew faster. Shinra looked out the peep hole.

"Who is it?" he asked. He could only hear a soft mumbling outside. Curious, the doctor opened the door a crack. A woman stood outside biting on her hand. Confused, Shinra opened the door wider. The woman kept her eyes to the ground. Despite it being summer, she had on jeans and a thick brown sweater. She looked so pale with her wrinkled and messed up clothes covered in blood. Her feet were just as dirty as the rest of her appearance.

[Uh… Can we help you?] Celty typed. The woman trembled at first. She finally looked up at the couple with wide glazed over eyes.

"Call the police! I just killed my husband!" the woman screamed. The volume of her voice was enough to make Shinra call the cops. About ten minutes later, the police showed up. Celty stayed by her boyfriend as they searched the apartment. The detective walked up to the couple.

"We can't seem to find her," he said. "And dispatch never received calls about any murders in this neighborhood. Are you playing some sort of a prank on us?"

"No," Shinra said. "It all really happened. That lady was standing at our door."

[He's telling the truth,] Celty typed. [I saw her too. She was right there.] The dullahan pointed out the front door. The detective looked out the empty door.

"Hm," was all he said. Shinra and Celty looked at each other. Who was that woman who confessed to murder?

* * *

-Yellow Sundress-

She stood by the side of the street as if looking for something or someone.

[_I have seen her before. I don't think I can do her story any justice._]

"Excuse me!" someone shouted. The woman in the yellow sundress turned her head. Tatsuya stood inches away from her with a puzzled look on his face.

"Are you lost or something?" he asked. She looked at him with big eyes.

"Am I… lost?" she asked. The woman's voice trembled as she spoke. Tatsuya made a face as he blinked at her.

"Yes," he said. "Are you lost?" The woman in the yellow sundress shook her head.

"Are you waiting for someone?" he asked.

"Waiting for someone?" she asked.

"Uh… yeah," Tatsuya said. "Look, are you feeling okay?" The woman's face twisted up into despair.

"I don't want to die," she whimpered.

"What?" he asked. The woman in the yellow sundress grabbed her head and started wailing.

"Miss?" Tatsuya asked.

"He's coming to kill me!" she shouted.

"What are you talking about?!" he yelled, grabbing her by the wrists. "Miss? Miss?" But then, Tatsuya found himself standing on the side of the road alone.

"Huh? Where did she go?" he asked. "Hello? Hello?" All that he was greeted with was the sounds of the city at night.

* * *

-The Parlor-

The smell of cigarette smoke and perfume teased Mikado's nose. When he opened his eyes looked around, he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. Vintage enlarged photos hung from the walls. Brown and red invade the room. White diamond chandeliers hung from the ceilings. The furniture looked like it could have been from a Victorian catalog with the stuffy-looking brown leather on the couches and booths. The wooden floor felt cold to his feet. Mikado found himself sitting in a booth with a Tiffany lamp turned on.

"Oh good, you're awake," a woman's voice said. Mikado turned his head. A woman with long blonde hair stood by his table. Her green and white cocktail dress hugged her curves. Mikado frowned a little bit.

"Hello, Rin," he said. Rin giggled and sat down in his lap. The tadpole cleared his throat.

"So… how are you?" he asked. He could smell her perfume from her cleavage. The tadpole adverted his eyes from down her dress.

"A bit lonely," Rin said with a pout. She cuddled up to the tadpole boy. Mikado tried to inch away from her.

"I am sorry to hear that," he muttered.

"Rin leave the boy alone," another woman's voice said. "Can't you see that you have stressing him out?" Rin and Mikado looked up to see that woman standing in the doorway. She had on a deep purple and gold kimono with her hair done up in a traditional bun. Mikado stared at the black moon earrings in her ears. Rin frowned.

"Get off me, Naho," she said. "Don't you have your teddy bears to tend to?" The woman in the kimono forced herself to smile.

"My children are fine," she said. Naho slid into the booth and sat across from Mikado and Rin. She leaned in and smiled.

"Tell me, Mikado-san," Naho said. "How are you doing?"

"Good…" the tadpole boy said. "Why am I here?" The women didn't speak at first. They looked at each other before they turned to Mikado. Rin rested her head against his chest.

"Please don't join Yamato and his crew," she said in a low voice. "We don't want anymore blood on your hands." Mikado gave her a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "I haven't killed anyone. Who is Yamato?"

"Another tadpole," Naho said in a matter of fact tone.

"What?!" Mikado yelped.

[_Oh, would you look at that? Another little freak on the loose._]

* * *

-Night Shift-

It's another slow night at the hospital. Only Joe and Arisa were on shift tonight. Arisa gave her coworker an uneasy look. The English nurse looked up at her.

"How are your babies?" she asked.

"Good," Arisa said, trying to keep calm. She didn't even make eye contact. Just finish this shift and get home. Arisa wasn't supposed to be working tonight. One of their coworkers got sick and had to check into the hospital itself. Arisa ended up covering her shift for the night. She didn't have much of a choice. Her fellow nurse gave her a sympathetic look.

"I wish you luck," Himeko whispered. Arisa forced herself to smile.

"Geez, thanks," she muttered. Back in present day, Joe raised an eyebrow at her.

"How old is Goro now?" she asked. Arisa gave her a quick odd look.

"Why?" she asked. Joe shrugged.

"Just asking," she said. Arisa wrinkled her nose. But then, Joe paused.

"Oh yeah," she said. "One of the doctors needed you to go down to the basement to get fresh scalpels." Arisa raised her eyebrow.

"Which doctor?" she asked.

"I can't remember his name," Joe said. "It was one of those old stuffy guys." The way she stared at her co-worker sent off red flags.

"Why do I have to go?" Arisa asked. Joe didn't answer. Instead, she grinned. The other nurse forced herself to smile.

"Alright," she said.

"Thank you," Joe said. Arisa gave her a fake smile and walked out of the nurse's station.

Joe had been acting weird lately. It's been getting worse. But the nurses didn't know how to approach the subject. None of them wanted to work shifts with her anymore. Arisa tried to come up with excuses to avoid shifts with her. Tonight, she had no luck.

Arisa made it down to the door. She took in a breath and put her hand to the doorknob. How long has anyone been down here? The nurse shook her head. Just get this over with and get through this shift.

"Right," Arisa said to herself. She turned the knob on the door. To her surprise, the nurse found it unlocked.

"Huh?" she asked. "Who left this unlocked?" Arisa felt goosebumps forming on her arms as she opened the door. When she looked down the stairs, the nurse froze. At the bottom of the stairs stood a figure in a long white hospital gown. This… creature looked so pale with skinny limbs. The bottom of its gown was covered in blood. The worst part was its head shaking rapidly. Almost like it was having a seizure. One step towards the stairs was all it took for Arisa to turn around and run.

Meanwhile, Joe finished up her paperwork, chuckling to herself.

[_Oh, it's only going to get worse with that crazy bitch._]

* * *

-Lunch Day Out-

On Sunday, Midori found it hard to enjoy lunch. She shook her head.

"Are you okay, dear?" her mother asked.

"No," Midori said.

"Dreams again?"

"Yeah."

Her mom put her hand on Midori's. Her daughter jerked her head upwards. That old concerned look in her eyes made her daughter's heart ache.

"We can go home if you want," her mom said. Midori shook her head.

"Are you sure?" her mom asked. Her daughter nodded one. She slowly drew back her hand.

"Alright," she said.

"Thank you," Midori said. A waiter came by their table. He looked about Midori's age, maybe a little bit older. His cheeks turned bright pink as he stared at the tadpole. Midori reached up and started waving in his face. She cleared her throat aloud. The waiter came back to earth.

"Oh!" he said. "Ladies, are you ready to order?"

"Yeah," her mom said. "I will have Classic Spaghetti with meat sauce."

"I'll have the pizza Margherita," Midori said. The waiter took down their orders and took up their menus. Midori turned back to her mom.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked. Her cheeks turned bright red.

"I'm seeing someone," she said. Midori's eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

"Who?" she asked. Her mom tried not to giggle.

"You remember that coworker I told you about?" she asked.

"The geeky one that is so nice to you?" the tadpole asked.

"Yes," she said. "We have been dating for three weeks now."

"Wow, congratulations," Midori said. "I'm so happy for you." Her mom's cheeks turned red.

"Thanks," she said in a soft voice. The waiter came by their table with a big bottle of wine.

"Um… excuse me, we didn't order this," Midori said.

"I know," the waiter said. "It's compliments of the bartender to the pretty ladies at table eight." The tadpole looked over at the bar. There was the bartender looking at her blushing.

"Oh," Midori said. "Tell him I said thanks, I guess." The waiter nodded and walked over to the bar.

"Wow, the staff here is really nice to us today," Midori's mom said.

"Yeah…" the tadpole said uneasily. She tried to laugh off the unwanted attention. Suddenly, Midori heard a low whisper in her ear. Their words made her blood run cold.

_I will kill your mother._ Midori started shaking.

"Baby?" her mother asked. "Baby, what's the matter?" The tadpole went pale as she shook her head.

[_Poor little freak. Mommy's going to be dead too._]

* * *

-Little Red Diary-

Noriko had just finished her summer homework when something was slipped through her door.

"Hm?" she asked. Curious, Noriko got up and walked over to the door. When she looked down, a confused look came over her face.

"What is this?" she asked. Noriko bent down and picked up a book with a blank red cover.


	10. Ghosts

Halo Nine: Ghosts:

The lights flickered overhead in the Red Vintage Parlor. Mikado looked between Rin and Naho. His memories of them both started to come back. Rin was rather aggressive with her affections. She had a little game that she liked to play with him. She would lock him in her closet and make him watch her have sex with her johns.

"You have to keep quiet," she told him. What else could he do? This little game went on for a few nights. But then, she had to raise the stakes. One night, Rin was with one of her johns. Mikado watched from the locked closet. She looked into her job but he couldn't help but notice that she kept looking back at the closet. What was she doing? Why did she keep looking this way at him? _Turn away. Turn away!_

Suddenly, Rin stopped. Her john looked up, confused.

"Why did you stop?" he asked.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I have a confession to make," she said.

"What?" the confused man asked, laying on his back. The prostitute sighed.

"I have been cheating on you," Rin confessed.

"What?" her john asked.

"I'm so sorry." She hid her face from him. The poor man looked so confused.

"Who? Who is it?"

Rin got up and walked over to the closet. Mikado started to panic as the door opened. The john sat up and looked. Mikado sat in the closet, staring. Rin put her arm around his shoulders.

"This is my lover," she said. Both men looked at her in shock.

"What?!" they asked. Rin took Mikado by the hands and led him over to the bed.

"Now we switch!" she said. "Honey, you get in the closet and Mikado here will keep me entertained." She shoved john in the closet and closed the door. The poor man had to watch as Rin mounted the tadpole boy on her bed.

Mikado shuddered as he remembered that little encounter.

Naho wasn't as aggressive as Rin. But she still had strong affections for Mikado all the same. There could be something if he wasn't put off by her vast collection of teddy bears. They practically covered her room.

"These are my babies," she told him. Mikado nervously chuckled. Sure, she was an arctophile but still… It seemed a little bit too much.

The trio looked up when they heard soft footsteps walk into the parlor. A small brown and white teddy bear stood in the doorway holding up a red glass dish. Naho clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she snapped. "Get back to your bed and take that stupid dish with you!" The little bear lowered his head and walked out of the parlor. Naho sighed and shook her head.

"Honestly," she said.

"Uh…" Mikado said. The women looked over at him. The tadpole boy sat quiet for a moment. How was he could he excuse himself without coming across as rude?

"Do you… need me for anything else?" Mikado asked at last. Rin grabbed his jacket as tightly as she could.

"_I_ need you," she said. He stared deep into her dark green eyes. Naho cleared her throat.

"What?" Rin asked with gritted teeth.

"He can't stay here too long, remember?" Naho pointed out. "He' still alive. His soul is still in his body. You can have your sex fun some other time." Rin snorted.

"Fine," she grumbled, letting go of Mikado's jacket. But then, her lips moved to his right ear.

"You owe me a good night later," she whispered. Rin licked him on the ear lobe. Mikado shivered as his face turned red. Naho gave the prostitute a judging glare. Rin just ignored her.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "There is something I have to give you before you leave."

"What is it?" Mikado asked.

"Hold out your hand," Rin said.

"What for?" he asked.

"Please, just do it," she said. Mikado sighed and held out his hand. The prostitute drew a small star with her finger in the palm before placing a small yen coin on the spot.

"This will keep you safe on your way home," she said.

"Thank you," Mikado said. Rin climbed off his lap and he exited the booth.

* * *

-Woman in the Yellow Dress-

"See you later," Mikado said as he walked out the open doors.

"Bye!" Rin and Naho said. The tadpole boy walked out and found himself back on the streets of Ikebukuro. So they could take him out of the Living World into Purgatory just like that with no problems? A wave of unsettling thoughts floated through his mind.

"I will have to talk to them about that later," Mikado said to himself. His thoughts became distracted when something caught his attention up ahead. A woman about twenty-four years old stood on the side of the road. Bright yellow sundress made her hard to miss. She seemed to be looking around frantically.

"Excuse me," Mikado said. "Are you okay? Miss?" That's when he noticed something odd about this woman. She looked up and saw him.

"Hi…" the tadpole said. "Are you okay?"

"Am I… okay?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Mikado said. The woman paused and started shaking.

"I… I… I don't know!" she wailed. She broke down into tears.

"Whoa there," the tadpole said. "Take it easy." He rested his hand on her shoulder. Warm air met his fingertips. Small surprise took over his mind. Mikado turned his head.

"Wait… are you…?" he asked. The woman turned to him with wide eyes.

"What?" she asked. Mikado didn't even try to hide his train of thought.

"Dead," he said. There was a long pause. The woman in the yellow dress gave him a strange look.

"Dead?" she asked. She started shaking her head. "No. No! That can't be! I can't be dead! I'm supposed to be meeting up with someone!" Mikado gave her a strange look.

"What year is this?" he asked her.

"1979," she said.

"No," Mikado said, shaking his head. "This is 2015." The woman backed away, shaking her head.

"No, that can't be," she said. "It's 1979 and I'm supposed to meet my boyfriend here. We were supposed to go on a date and… and…" Tears started to fill her eyes. Mikado gave her a look of sympathy.

"What's your name?" he asked. The woman sniffled.

"Chiho," she said.

Moments later, Mikado and Chiho sat on the side of the street. The tadpole boy tried to ignore the two figures watching them from across the street. One of them was dressed in white and the other was dressed in black. Their masks had no emotion on the face. The figure dressed black held three red balloons in their right hand. They let them go without a word. Mikado turned his attention back to Chiho.

"What was the last thing that you remember?" he asked. Chiho looked down at her lap.

"I was standing on the side of the road in front of this coffee shop waiting for my date," she said.

"Uh-huh," Mikado said, nodding.

"He told me that he to work late that day," Chiho said. "So, my boyfriend would be running late." She looked up at the night sky.

"Take your time if you need to," the tadpole said. The ghost took a breath and closed her eyes. (Strange to see a ghost "taking a breath".) She shook her head for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Chiho said.

"It's okay," Mikado said.

"It's not," she mumbled. Chiho started to tremble. "I had a date that day. It was supposed to have been a nice day. But then… But then…" She turned to the road in front of them. Mikado looked with her.

"And they never found the person who did it?" he asked.

"No," Chiho said. Her mind began to replay the moment she spotted her boyfriend across the street. She had been practically waiting all morning in her favorite dress. She did everything that she was supposed to do. Chiho had just stepped out into the street when she paused and turned her head.

She screamed back in present day.

"Chiho-san!" Mikado yelled as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down! You're safe now. You're safe now." It took Chiho about ten minutes to stop screaming. She turned and saw Mikado staring at her.

"That car is not coming to hit you again," he said in a calm voice. "You're safe now." Chiho gave him a blank stare.

"I don't understand," she said. Mikado blinked for a moment.

"Understand what?" he asked. Chiho looked down at his hand on her shoulder.

"This is the first time, that I have ever said more than a few words to anyone living before," she said. "Usually when someone sees me, I just end up saying the same things over and over before disappearing." A grim look spread across her face.

"I don't know what I am going to do now," Chiho admitted. "Now that I know that I am dead."

"What do you want to do?" Mikado asked.

"I don't know!" she wailed, throwing her head back. She looked back over at him.

"Can you please… stay with me for a little bit longer?" the ghost asked. "Please?" The tadpole boy sighed.

"Alright," Mikado said uneasily. Chiho bowed her head.

"Thank you so much," she said.

"Right…" he mumbled. What else could he do? Meanwhile, a group of shadowy figures floated above them in the sky.

* * *

-White Witch-

Mikado was finally able to leave about close to midnight. Chiho finally floated back up to the sky to linger there a little bit longer. The tadpole boy sighed and dropped his shoulders. He just wanted to go home at that point.

That wasn't not going to happen right away.

Mikado froze in his tracks on the empty sidewalk.

"I know you're here," he said. "Come out so we can talk." Mikado turned around to see two thugs walking towards him. They had to about in their late twenties. Both of them had knives in their hands. Mikado didn't even look afraid.

"Let me guess," he said. "Are you here to kill me?" The two men laughed.

"Very smart, little tadpole freak," one of the men said. The men chuckled again. Mikado looked around. Something about these men didn't seem normal. The tadpole boy held his breath. Good thing Celty wasn't with him right now. But he still didn't know how to fight too well. His hand inched to his cell phone.

"Don't even think about calling your little friends in the Dollars!" a thug with bleached blonde hair snapped. "We happen to be in the Dollars, Chirin!" Mikado flinched at that name.

"That is not my name," he mumbled.

"Aw, what's wrong?" the thug with the black bandana on his head asked. "Are you going to cry?"

"No," Mikado said. The thugs turned to each other.

"Oh what do we have here?" Blondie asked. "Looks like we have a badass on our hands." The thugs snickered to each other.

"Let's waste him!" his pal said. Mikado took that as his cue to run. Lucky for him, speed was on his side. He couldn't hear them yelling at him anymore.

Mikado ended up going in the opposite direction of his apartment. He didn't want them to know where he lived. The tadpole boy found himself surprised that he didn't need to catch his breath. He took a look around him. Mikado found himself in the middle of a narrow alley. His eyes were quick to adjust to the darkness. Everything was so quiet around him. Mikado leaned against the wall and tried to think of what to do next. He couldn't go home yet. How many more possessed people were out chasing him? Some of them could be at his apartment right now.

Mikado pulled out his phone. Low reception and thirty-two percent battery. The tadpole dropped his phone by his side and groaned. Stay calm. Stay calm. Panicking won't do. He needed to keep a clear head. Mikado took a breath. The tadpole just needed to think.

Suddenly, he had the feeling that she wasn't alone.

The tadpole boy slowly turned around. A white light was so great and blinding that he had to shield his eyes. Through narrowed eyes, Mikado saw a petite woman. She had little beads sewn to her white robes. A gold headdress held up her long white hair. She didn't speak. She didn't need. Mikado lowered his hand. In fact, he knew her name.

"You're the White Witch," he said. She didn't respond. Mikado was about to reach out to touch her cheek.

"There he is!" a man's voice yelled. The tadpole turned around and saw those two possessed thugs at the end of the alley. They had their knives out, ready to play.

"You've got nowhere to run!" the Blonde thug said. "Time for you to die!" This time, the tadpole didn't try to run away. He just stood as the possessed thugs ran closer. The White Witch herself didn't move.

The thugs touched her at the same time. Their eyes turned white as visions flashed in their minds. Time slowed down for only a second before everything became normal. When they let go, the men weren't possessed anymore. They looked at each other, trembling.

"What just… happened?" Blondie asked, panting. The black bandana guy backed away.

"I saw how I died," he said. "My girlfriend s-s-stabbed me," he said.

"I fell," the blonde guy said. They turned back to the White Witch floating off of the ground with no emotion on her face. The two thugs turned around and ran. Mikado didn't move until they were completely gone. He turned to the White Witch with one thing on his mind.

"What's going to happen to me?" the tadpole asked. He put his hand on her shoulder. She didn't speak as he looked into her dark empty eyes.

"I see," was all Mikado said.


	11. Natsuko

Halo Ten: Natsuko:

-Natsuko-

I work for a small supernatural magazine. We started back in 2006. The magazine an underground one until about three months ago. Lately, my boss is interested in the tadpoles. I just couldn't pass up this case. My boss was the one who came to me. I couldn't believe it at first.

"Wait… are you serious?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "Write a piece about the tadpoles." I about jumped to attention.

"Yes sir!" I shouted. "I won't let you down!" So out the door I went. Let's just say it's not been an easy hunt. Not many people want to talk. I wasn't going to give up that easily. That wasn't in my nature.

Lucky for me, I snagged an interview.

* * *

-Friday Night-

Tetsu walked up to the ticket booth. The woman behind the glass didn't look at him.

"One please," Tetsu said. He slid across his money. She took it and gave him another ticket. The tadpole bowed and walked inside. Tonight, it's another old samurai film. These are the only types of movies playing this late at night. The newer stuff plays at other theaters in the areas. Somehow, Tetsu didn't feel those would help in his case. He walked into screen room three. His usual seat was near the exit in the back. Once the tadpole sat down, he let himself get lost in his mind. Tetsu never really watched the movie.

But tonight, Tetsu was not alone.

In the middle of old trailers from the 1950's, he heard the door open as quietly as possible. Footsteps shuffled in and stopped next to his seat. The chair to the tadpole's right creaked down and someone flopped down into it. He didn't sense anything from them. Not tadpole or a demon. Just a plain old normal.

Then, the movie started.

"You come out here at night too, huh?" a voice whispered. Tetsu didn't turn his head. Maybe it was a guy or a girl.

"Yeah," he said nodding. The title card came up.

"Are you afraid to come here alone at night?" they asked.

"No," Tetsu said.

"But you could die out here. Because of them."

Tetsu looked out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't really see the face. The tadpole still couldn't sense anything about them.

"Who are you?" Tetsu whispered.

"Tell who you are."

"Why?"

"Just tell me."

Tetsu focused his eyes back to the screen. "Tell me who you are first."

"Nobody. I am nobody."

"Okay… I'm Tetsu." He tried to focus on the black and white fight on the screen. Still, the tadpole could still feel the eyes locked on him.

"What do you want from me?" the tadpole asked.

"I just want your story," they said.

"My story?"

"Tell me everything about yourself." The tone of the voice sent up a red flag in his head. There was something almost robotic about it. Like it sounded rehearsed in a way. The worst part was he couldn't pin down the motivation. He didn't sense any evil from them. But, Tetsu doubted there was any good will behind it either.

"Can I please just watch the movie?" he asked. The tadpole got no response for the rest of the night.

* * *

-Saturday Morning-

"I'm home," Tetsu said walking back to his apartment. Taichi looked up from his couch.

"Welcome home," he said. "Where did you go last night?"

"The movies," Tetsu said. He walked over and sat down next to his boyfriend.

"Why do you feel the need to go out?" Taichi said. The tadpole sighed.

"What else can I do?" he asked. "I can't sleep anymore. Watching you sleep won't do anymore. I could look for the others but I don't know where to start." His boyfriend looked at him when he heard the part of watching him sleep.

"Wait, what?" Taichi asked. It was then Tetsu realized what he had said.

"Uh… just ignore that," he said. Taichi raised his eyebrow. His boyfriend tried to wave him off.

"I wasn't being a stalker!" he said. "I just can't sleep anymore. I need something to fill my nights!"

"Wait… so… you don't sleep anymore?" Taichi asked. Tetsu shook his head.

"Not ever?" his boyfriend asked.

"No," the tadpole answered.

"Wow…" was all Taichi could say. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"What is that?" Taichi asked. Tetsu froze. _Don't tell me…_ He stood up as if in a daze.

"Tetsu-kun?" Taichi asked. The tadpole didn't listen as he looked out the peep hole. A woman in a yellow and white dress stood outside. His stomach turned as Tetsu opened the door. The woman smiled with a notepad in hand.

"Hello!" she said. Tetsu blinked as Taichi joined him at the door.

"Listen, we are not donating any money to whatever charity you work for. We're not joining your religion. And we're not buying what you are selling," Taichi said. "Goodbye." He started to close the door in her face. But the woman blocked the door with her hand and foot.

"What are you doing?" Taichi asked.

"I just want to talk," the woman said.

"What for?" Tetsu asked. Her eyes locked onto him. "You!" The tadpole froze.

"Were you at the movies last night?" Tetsu asked. His boyfriend turned to him. The woman gave him a cute little smile.

"Guilty," she said. Tetsu slowly backed away.

"Why do you want my story so much?" he asked. "Who are you?" The woman broke into a huge grin.

"Let me in and I will tell you," she said.

"No!" Taichi said.

"Come on," the woman said. "Just thirty minutes of your time and I will be gone." She struggled to keep the door open. The couple looked at each other for a pause.

"Thirty minutes, how?" Tetsu asked at last.

"Yes," the woman said. "And then I will be gone." There came another pause. Taichi let go of the door.

"Fine," he said. "But only thirty minutes."

"Thank you," the woman said, bowing. She walked into the apartment. The couple looked at each other before Taichi closed the door.

* * *

Tetsu ran calculations in his mind. Who was this woman really? Why was she so interested in him? It smelt like a trap. The woman sat across from them smiling.

"My name is Sakamoto Natsuko," she said.

"Tetsu," the tadpole said. "And this is my partner, Taichi."

"Pleasure," Taichi said. Tetsu had his eyes locked on Natsuko. She reached into her brown and purple bag and pulled out a small tape recorder.

"What is that?" Taichi asked.

"It's just a tape recorder I use for my interviews," Natsuko said.

"Who yo do you work for?" Tetsu asked.

"Spooky Tokyo Nights," she said with a hint of pride. The gay couple frowned.

"Isn't that that lame paranormal magazine started back a few years ago?" Taichi asked.

"I think you're right," Tetsu said. Natsuko gritted her teeth as she tried to stay pleasure for the job. Meanwhile, the tadpole did some quick math. This could play into his favor. Maybe he could expose the corruption of Tandeki. Even find more tadpoles lost out there. Tetsu relaxed as he made his decision.

"What all do you want to know about us?" he asked. Natsuko raised her eyebrow.

"There is an us?" she asked. The tadpole smirked with a cold look in his eye.

"Why yes," he replied.

* * *

-Sunday Afternoon-

"You still think that was a good idea to do that?" Taichi asked again. Tetsu stretched his arms above his head.

"Yep," he said. "I think I have kicked up the hornet's nest for those bastards." He saw the worried look on his partner's face. Tetsu walked up and gently stroked his cheek.

"Don't worry," he said. "It will be fine. Once we take down Tandeki, this nightmare will be over. And then figure it out from there." Taichi shook his head.

"We can't be normal anymore," he said.

"I know," Tetsu said. But then he froze with that shock running down his spine.

"Is it another one?" his lover asked.

"Yes," the tadpole boy said. He walked over to the front door and looked out the peephole. Yamato stood outside, waiting. Curious, Tetsu opened the door.

"Hello?" he asked. Yamato pressed his hands together and smiled.

"Tetsu, my friend!" he said. "I have an interesting offer for you!"


	12. Chikako

Halo Eleven: Chikako:

-August 3rd, 1996-

Chikako sat on the floor of her living room coloring pictures. She moved with her father to Ikebukuro six months ago. Aside from his strange behavior everything was going great for the little girl. Chikako could make friends easily. She made good grades and the teachers adored her.

Her social life was great but her home life was vastly different.

She looked up when she heard the front door at about one in the morning. Her father staggered in, muttering to himself.

"I'm home," he mumbled. At first, Chikako didn't know how to react. She wouldn't know what state her father would be in when he came home. Sometimes, he would be so drunk that he would be asking who she was. Other times, he would just pass out on the floor just as the door opened. Chikako would have the daunting task of dragging him to bed. Tonight, he was sober and wide awake.

But, there was something different.

A look a fear spread across the little girl's face. She saw a woman bloodied and beaten sitting on her father's shoulders. Big red handprints were around her neck. Her red provocative dress was torn to shreds. Chikako's father stood in the doorway panting.

"What?" he asked. Chikako stood up and started backing away with big eyes. She turned and ran away, panting.

-August 15th, 2015-

"Thank you for your hard work!" Chikako called from the doorway of the police station.

"Get home safe, okay?" one of the cops said.

"Sure will," she said. Chikako bowed and started heading home. Still to this day, she pretends that everything is normal. Sure, the police force knew about her abilities and visions. That didn't change how she felt about her life. Chikako used to be normal. Trying to be now wasn't much help.

Suddenly, she paused when she heard footsteps. The coroner glanced behind her.

"I know you're there!" she said. "Come out and show yourself!" She slipped her hand into her purse to her stun gun. When the coroner turned around, there was no one in site. Chikako didn't let down her ground.

"Come on," she said. "Don't hide from me. I already know you are here. Just come out already and get it over with!" Chikako started to pull out her stun gun as the footsteps grew closer. But then, she froze. A tall pale man can into her line of vision. Long white hair came down to his ribcage. His white robes were open, exposing his bare chest. Chikako's face turned bright red as she stared at the muscles on his body.

"Oh…" was all she could say. The silent man walked closer to her. The coroner didn't know how to react. He didn't seem human but there was no malice present. She took a step back as he moved closer. Now, he towered over her. There was nothing in his small black eyes.

"W-W-Who are you?" Chikako asked. "What do you want from me?" The man didn't answer. He stood stared her in the eye. Suddenly, the man vanished right before her. Chikako backed away with big eyes.

"What the hell was that?" she asked. The coroner shook her head and forced herself to keep walking.

* * *

Moments later, Chikako walked down to the crosswalk. She felt much better being surrounded by people. Ever since she had haunting dreams, the coroner would try to surround herself with crowds. The more people around the more she could breathe. At home, she didn't want to be around her father with that woman on his back.

-1996-

Her name was Tsubaki. That wasn't her real name but that doesn't matter for this story. Not much was known about her past. She was a call girl working in the seedier parts of Ikebukuro at the time. Her roommate reported her missing the morning after the third of August. Tsubaki's body was found three days later in an alley behind the hotel where she was last seen. She had died from strangulation. Tsubaki had been beaten about the head, face, and torso. Her dress had been torn to shreds. At the time, the police had no leads. Witnesses couldn't give any details. There was only one security camera in the back alley running. The video was grainy but it showed a man about 5'10" to 6'1" carrying what was thought to be Tsubaki's body out into the alley and dumping her behind a trash bin. Fingerprints didn't come up to a match to anyone in system. The DNA would take time. The usual johns all had alibies. The case looked like it would run cold.

But Chikako knew the truth. She saw the victim on her father's shoulders. He complained about his neck and shoulders hurting. Her father knew saw his victim on his back. No one but Chikako could.

-2015-

The coroner's thoughts were interrupted when she came across three thugs. She looked at the hungry looks in their eyes as they snickered at her. Chikako took a step back.

"Uh… Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked. One of the thugs stepped forward, licking his lips.

"Hey baby, you looking for a good time tonight?" he asked. Chikako wrinkled her nose as the heavy stench of booze and pot on him. He tried to grab her back she managed to move out of his reach.

"I'm flattered," she lied. "But I have to get home. Maybe some other time. Excuse me." Chikako tried to leave but another thug grabbed her by the arm.

"Hey!" she shouted.

"Come on, baby," his friend said. "You can come home with us. We'll be _really_ nice to you." The third thug took hold of Chikako's other arm. The coroner tried to break away.

"I said no," she said. "I have to get home. Please get off me." The thugs wouldn't let up on her. Their leader clicked his tongue at her struggling.

"Give up already, bitch!" he snapped. "We're just trying to have a good time with you."

"And I said no. Now get off me!" Chikako shouted. She spat in the leader's face. The man's face looked like an angry demon.

"Bitch!" he screamed. The thug about to strike her in the face when…

Whoosh!

When Chikako looked up, she was in the arm of the man in white. He held her tight to his body as if to try and protect her. His grip about made her rib cage ache. Where did he even come from? The man gave the thugs demonic face as he glared at them. The thugs started backing away.

"Oh, we didn't know you had a boyfriend," the leader said. "Our bad. We're sorry." They turned around and ran. The man in white wouldn't let go of Chikako as they fled. When they were gone, he let go of her. The coroner took a deep breath.

"Thanks, I guess…" she said. The man didn't speak. Despite the crowded streets, it felt like they were the only two in the world. Chikako backed away, shook her head.

"I don't understand," she said. "Who are you?" The man didn't answer. His gaze made her feel like she was shrinking.

"Are you stalking me or something?" Chikako asked. He suddenly disappeared before her very eyes. The coroner just stood there with a confused look over her face. She looked around in the crowd but no one seemed to notice a thing. The coroner grabbed the sides of her head.

"Am I losing my mind?" she asked herself. Chikako slowly shook her head. "No, I just need to get home, take a bath, and go to bed. Right, I can do this." The coroner took a breath and resumed her walk home.

* * *

-1996-

Things grew worse for her father. He started drinking more. The pain in his neck and shoulders grew worse. Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Her father even lost his job. Grandma had to move in and take care of the family. Meanwhile, Chikako had been sitting on this secret for months. She knew who killed Tsubaki but who even believe her? But there are times when the dam breaks. Secrets will eventually have to come out.

Her big secret would come out around Christmas.

-2015-

Here came the longest stretch to home. The crowd started to thin out. This shouldn't be any different from any other night. Chikako shoved her hands into her pockets. What was up with that weird white man who followed her around? She had never seen him before in her life. Who was he and what did he want with her? The coroner took a look behind her. She could see the lights of the city fading as she walked further down the street. Just thirty more minutes.

Her mind started to wander back to her father. They caught him through his fingerprints just before Christmas. He was arrested on Christmas Eve for drunk and disorderly. Drunk and disorderly. That was all it took to bring him to justice. That and one of the receptionists at that hotel recognized him. At the time, she was bailing out a friend from jail. When the receptionist saw Chikako's father, she told the cops right away. He was held for questioning and put in a cell overnight.

At Christmas, everything came spilling out. Chikako told her grandmother everything.

Suddenly, someone grabbed the coroner from behind. She whipped her head around with a gasp. Low and behold, there was that White man again. He was holding her inches off of the ground. Her shoes fell off onto the pavement.

"Uh… What are you doing?" Chikako asked. The man didn't answer. He started to pull her backwards. She noticed that she was about to walk into the street. A car rushed by them. The man placed Chikako back onto the ground.

"Uh… Thank you, I guess," she said. The man still didn't respond. Chikako looked like a doll dangling in midair.

"Uh… Can you… put me down?" she asked. The man gently put her back on the ground. Chikako quietly put her sandals back on her feet.

"Thank you," she said. The man didn't say anything else. Chikako reached out to try and touch him. Her eyes widened with shock.

"I can touch you," she said. "You're real." She lowered her hand to her side.

"But why?" the coroner asked. "Who are you? What are you?" Just as predicted, the man didn't answer. Instead, he just vanished into thin air. Chikako just stood there with her mouth agape. All of the color drained from her face as she took off running for home.

* * *

Chikako never did find out why her father killed Tsubaki that night. She visited him in prison several times. He never gave her an answer.

"You look so pretty, dear," he would tell her. His daughter never gave up trying to get the truth from him.

"Why did you do it?" she would ask. "Why did you kill her?" He sat there, silent behind the glass.

"Did she make you mad or something?" Chikako asked. "Did she try to cheat? What happened? This isn't you." He never gave her an answer. She doubted that he would give her an answer tomorrow either.

* * *

Michiko stood around the park. The girl tried her best to keep herself calm. She kept a charm by her side. She turned when she heard footsteps approach her. Tiresias stood under the moonlight with her cane.

"Oh good," Michiko said with her hand to her chest. "You got my message."

"Is it what I think it is?" the blind woman asked.

"Yes," the young girl said. Tiresias cursed under her breath.

"If it's not one thing, it's another," she said. "Do we know who it is yet?"

"No," Michiko said. She grabbed her wrist as she started to shake. She took in another breath.

"What do you plan to do with her?" Tiresias asked. Her younger companion rubbed her forehead.

"I don't know," she admitted. "There is so much that we have to do. We can't let them open that last gate."

"I know," the blind woman said. Michiko sank down onto the ground. She grabbed the sides of her head. Tiresias rubbed her on the back.

"Shhh," she whispered. "Shhh. Shhh." The younger girl lowered her hands and lifted her head. Tiresias began to smile.

"The game isn't over yet," she said. "We will do everything in our power to stop the Woman in Red."

"But will the Gates of Light even be enough?" Michiko asked. "What if it will take more than that? Could we even pull it off?"

"We are going to have to try," her blind friend said.

"We can't even get Makoto and Hya-chan to even take up the fight again," Michiko said. "Makoto has lost the will and we don't even know who Hya-chan is."

"They will come to us," Tiresias said. "He may try to avoid her but she will find him again like she always does. When that happens, we have to act and stop this mess from going any further." She could feel the desperation pouring out from Michiko as she stared up at her.

"We will keep Kida safe from this game," the blind woman added. The young girl froze.

"You promise?" she asked.

"Yes," Tiresias said. Michiko rose to her feet.

"Then, we know what we need to do first," she said. Her blind companion had a grin on her face.

"Where shall we start looking?" she asked.

* * *

Junko sat in her basement office, looking at her phone. Her lips curved into a little smile.

"It is just about time," she said to herself. "Just a few more seconds." Her clock changed to midnight.

"Show time," the nurse said to herself.

Down at the Hashimoto apartment, Kawaguchi held a small dog whistle in his hand. He took a deep breath and blew the whistle.


	13. Escape

Halo Twelve: Escape:

Chiharu lay shaking on her bedroom floor. How long was the last time she tasted blood? Junko's taunting made it that much worse.

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" she asked. The angel panted wildly.

"Shut up!" she growled.

"Why? Because you know I'm right?" Junko asked. "Look, just feed. It's better than fighting it in pain." Her words only served to remind her how bad things were turning. The past few days turned into a case of why she should feed.

Tatsuya kept her locked in her room. For the most part, she scratched on the door in the earlier days. Her screaming didn't even sound human. Her brother ignored her.

"What do you expect me to do with her?" he asked. Mikado and Masaomi didn't have an answer. What do you do when your friend has turned into an angel?

Pretty soon, the scratching stopped. Same with the screaming. But in its place came something worse.

-Eight Days Earlier-

Masaomi and Mikado stood outside of the Hashimoto apartment. Neither boy spoke about what they needed to do. The tadpole knocked on the door.

"Coming," a tired voice said. Mikado stepped back as the door opened. Tatsuya looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"What's the problem?" Masaomi asked. At first, the man didn't answer.

"It's gotten worse," he said in hoarse voice.

"What happened?" Mikado asked. Tatsuya backed up from the doorway. The boys followed him inside. They found Chiharu sitting in the living room. She looked like she was out in a daze. She hadn't combed her hair in days. Her clothes hadn't been washed either. The boys covered their mouths in shock.

"Hashi… moto…. -san?" Mikado asked. Chiharu didn't look up. Instead, she opened her mouth and let out a string of screaming gibberish.

"What did you say?" the tadpole boy asked. The angel girl started screaming out again. Her voice got louder the more she tried to speak.

"What was that?" Mikado asked again. Chiharu still kept screaming like a wild animal. Her two friends turned to her brother.

"How long had she been like this?" Masaomi asked.

"It started last night," Tatsuya said. "She only screams like that if you take to talk to her." Mikado's stomach turned.

"Anything else changed?" he asked. The man shook his head. The boys turned back to their angel friend.

The regression plowed forward. Within days, Chiharu couldn't walk on two legs anymore. She had to crawl around to move. Chiharu still wouldn't eat. Human food just made her vomit. Tatsuya looked like he was about to pass out by this point.

"Let me take over," Mizuho offered. He didn't even bother to try and argue with her.

"Whatever," Tatsuya said.

"Tatsuya," she said. She knew as much about the situation as he did. Mikado and Masaomi couldn't/wouldn't explain what was going on.

"Tell us the truth," Mizuho demanded on a Sunday.

"I'm sorry," Mikado said, bowing. "You wouldn't understand it. I don't understand it either." Mizuho wrinkled her nose.

"That is not good enough," she said.

"Stop, Mizuho," Tatsuya said. "They don't know." She sat back, frowning.

"How are you holding up?" Masaomi asked.

"Not good," the man said. He buried his head in his hands. "Damn it. I'm worried that she might get out." Mizuho rubbed him on the back but he pushed her off. And there in lies the problem. They didn't know what to do with Chiharu. What do you do with a savage flesh-eating angel?

"We have to tell Kishitani-sensei," Mikado said. "Maybe he can help us." Masaomi gave him an uneasy look. The tadpole shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "It's better than nothing." The founder of the Dollars did have a point. But the boys would have to act fast. Project Angel was ready to make the next move.

* * *

-Junko-

The nurse looked at the clock on her computer screen. It's been overdue to do this. They could still on their main projects. But that wasn't the hold up. F was stubborn to hold onto her humanity. When that declined, Junko felt like dancing.

"Took yourself long enough," she said, watching F's charts. The nurse pulled out her phone.

"Hello?" she asked. "You can go ahead and do it. Yeah, she's ready." The nurse nodded.

"Yes, get on it now," Junko said. "Good luck." The nurse smiled as she hung up. She turned back to the other caged angels. Since F's part was progressing, it was time to check out the other evolved angels. Z was a damn close runner-up. She was able to escape under Yui's watch after all. The angel would've gotten further if not for her hunger. Two evolved angels under her. If she could get a third, her project would be stable.

"Sensei," Yui spoke up. "What will we do with the evolved angels?" Junko looked over at her intern.

"I am kicking around some ideas," she said.

"And what about the failures?" her intern asked. The nurse shrugged.

"I guess they would be food for the evolved ones," she said. Yui took a moment to think about that. She nodded after a beat.

"That would make sense in a way," she said.

Meanwhile, Z heard all of this from her cage. Fear started eating at her heart. Her brother still hadn't evolved. He hadn't shown any progress since he was turned. She grabbed her head and started wailing.

_I don't want him to die! I don't want him to be eaten! I won't let that happen! I won't let that happen!_

"Shut up over there!" Junko yelled. She tossed a pen in Z's directions. The angel's wailing softened to a whimper.

* * *

-Emi-

Later that evening, Mikado heard a knock on his door.

"Hm? Who is it that late?" he asked himself. He couldn't sense anything at his computer. Not a tadpole then. But it didn't feel human either. Curious, Mikado walked over to the front door. A faint scent of lavender teased his nose.

_Wait… Is that who I think it is?_

The tadpole boy opened the door. A woman in a bright pink cheongsam dress and bright blonde pigtails stood outside. Her smile in the darkness jogged back more memories that he wished that he could forget.

"Hello, Emi-san," Mikado mumbled.

"So glad that you remember me," she said. There was a pause. "Aren't you going to let me in?" Mikado stared at her at first. Her question finally hit him.

"Oh," he said. "Right…" The tadpole moved aside from the doorway.

"Thank you," Emi said, bowing her head. He watched as she walked into his apartment. Her perfume teased his nose. Mikado closed the door behind her. Emi looked around his room. Masaomi and Anri slept on the floor.

"Oh good, they are asleep," she said. The prostitute flopped down onto his futon. Mikado narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you here?" he asked. Emi looked up him like a hungry little kitty.

"How are you holding up?" she asked.

"Fine, aside from not sleeping anymore," Mikado said. Emi leaned forward with a hungry look in her green eyes.

"I see," she said. The tadpole boy wrinkled his nose.

"You didn't come here for that, did you?" he asked. Emi gave him a little pout.

"Guilty," she admitted. Mikado rolled his eyes. _Figures._

"Aw, don't be like that," the ghost said. She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down by her side. He came up to eye level with her. Emi gave him a quick kiss. He remembered nights with her too. She liked when he chased her around the hotel all the way to her. Right now, Mikado tried not to look at her. Emi turned his face to hers.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Mikado's face turned red as more memories flooded his head.

"N-N-Nothing," he said. Emi frowned. The next thing she asked since alarm bells off in Mikado's mind.

"When was the last time you checked on your friend?" she asked. The tadpole boy about fell backwards.

"What?!" he asked.

"You will want to check on her like right now," she said.

"Why?" Mikado asked.

"It's bad,: Emi said. "Really bad." The grim look on her face told him everything that he needed to know.

"Where is she now?" Mikado asked.

"Call her right now," the prostitute said. There was no lightheartedness in her tone. The tadpole nodded.

"Right," he said. "Right." The tadpole boy got up and reached for his phone. Emi sat on his futon and watched him as he made the call. Moments later, Mikado lowered his phone. Emi cocked her head.

"Well?" she asked. Mikado let out a small sigh.

"She's still the same," he said. "She's still in her room."

"That's good," the ghost said. They stared at each other for a good moment. Mikado's eyes shifted back and forth.

"Uh… how long are you staying here?" he asked. Emi leered with her bright green eyes.

"Why?" she asked. He just gave up trying. These girls did what they wanted and didn't listen to him.

* * *

-Three Days Later-

To get to where we are now, we have to go back a bit. We started off with a teeny tiny whistle.

Kawaguchi had been scouting the Hashimoto apartment for weeks. He had to get everything down to a tee. Chiharu was locked up in her room all day. Tatsuya worked during the day. Masaomi and Mikado came by to check on her during the week. Today was Thursday. Tatsuya would in the living room watching TV right now.

Kawaguchi looked at his phone. Junko gave him the go ahead. That window was closing fast. He might as well go do it. The intern took a breath and blew the little dog whistle.

Inside, Chiharu sat up with a jolt. Her body went stiff. The high-pitched sound put her in a trance. She turned her head to the window. Every inch of her being screamed at her.

_No! Don't do it! Don't do it! Stop. Stop!_

Another whistle kept her ears. Chiharu fought with what humanity she had left not go outside. Her body twitched as it inched closer.

_Don't do it! Don't do it! Stop!_

One more whistle was all it took.

Crash!

Chiharu flung herself out the window. She fell just like she did when she fell off the roof of Sekai Kino Apartments. It didn't feel so long to her either. In one blink, she was falling. And then in another, she was on the ground. Only this time, she didn't die.

Chiharu jumped up on all-fours and took off running into the night. Her animalistic grunts filled the air.

* * *

Early the next morning, Mikado's phone rang. He reached for it next to his computer.

"Hello?" the tadpole asked.

"Chiharu has gone missing," Tatsuya said on the other line. The founder of the Dollars froze.

"What did you say?!" he asked.

"I heard a crash from her room last night," the man said. "By the time I got there, she was already gone. And now I don't know where she went." Mikado rubbed his forehead.

"Oh no," he muttered. "Well, she couldn't have gotten far. Don't worry, we will find her."

"You better," was all Tatsuya said before he hung up. Mikado turned around behind him. He reached over and shook Masaomi on the shoulder.

"Masaomi! Masaomi, get up! We have a problem!" the tadpole said. Masaomi slowly opened his eyes.

"Wha… What's wrong?" he asked. "What's the problem? Did Kitano call you again?"

"No, Hashimoto has gone missing!" Mikado said. Masaomi sat up straight.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Hashimoto-san said that she jumped out the window and took off," his friend told him. The leader of the Yellow Scarves jumped out of bed and hurried to get dressed.

Mikado put out a BOLO on the Dollars forum. He and Masaomi decided against going to the police.

"I don't think we can explain that our friend is now a crazy cannibal on the loose," Mikado said.

"Good point," Masaomi agreed. So far, nobody saw anything out on the streets of Ikebukuro. The boys feared that she might have left Tokyo altogether.

And then…

[Police are investigating a savage attack that happened just outside of Ikebukuro last night. The victim, a nineteen-year-old male, suffered from his right ear, left middle finger, nose, and right pinky finger bitten off. He also has bite marks over his face, neck, and torso and scratches on his legs. The victim says that his attacker jumped out of nowhere and tried to eat him. He describes the assailant as an eighteen-year-old girl with messy dark brown hair to her shoulders, brown eyes, messy-looking pajamas, skinny, and really pale. If you see this girl on the loose, contact Ikebukuro police at the number below.]

When Mikado saw the sketch of Chiharu on the news, he knew that he had to find her right away.

"At least she's still in Ikebukuro," Masaomi said. "We have to go get her before she attacks someone else or is arrested." He jumped to his feet and started walking out the door.

"Masaomi, wait!" Mikado shouted. His friend whipped around. The tadpole rose to his feet.

"I don't think we should go into this unarmed," he said. "I don't think fighting her will be enough like this." Masaomi raised his eyebrow.

"What are you suggesting?" he asked.

"Here, take this," Mikado said. He reached into his bag and tossed a stun gun to Masaomi. His friend caught it with shock on his face.

"A stun gun?" he asked. "Do we really need this?"

"It will disorient her long enough for us to grab her," Mikado said. "I bought myself one too." He pulled out his own stun gun from his bag.

"Damn, you really had this planned out, don't you?" Masaomi asked. "Another vision or did this happen before?"

"Both," the tadpole answered. The shogun of the Yellow Scarves nodded.

"Right, okay then," he said with unease. "Let's go." Masaomi headed out the door. Mikado tried to ignore his tone as he followed behind. That would have to be dealt with later.


	14. Seals

Notes: Odds are Durarara and Even are DGray-Man

Halo Thirteen/Key Eight: Seals:

I: Missing Posters:

Yamato made his way through the park. He shoved his hands into his pockets. Tomoya was supposed to meet up with him today. But, the older tadpole had a job interview today.

"What's the point?" Yamato asked.

"We need the money," Tomoya said. "Our mission is not cheap. Erina and Hifumi are doing their best. But it doesn't feel right to make them do all the work." Yamato sighed.

"Fair enough," he said. "We'll have to work out that part later." So now, Yamato was alone. Shuichi and Norio were in the new base at work. The older girls were working. Reo was with Shinra. He didn't know where Sur was.

Yamato wondered off into the woods behind the park. So many trees. The birds sang overhead. The green nearly blinded him. The sounds made his ears ring. He could smell everything around him. He should've been used to this by now. Yamato shook his head to himself. The tadpole closed his eyes. His mind went back to a sea of memories. He remembered making rice cakes with his grandma. She had strong hands for her age. Still did, in fact. Yamato frowned to himself.

She used to treat him like he was strong. Only his grandma could understand him. When he came back from Chou Mori, she saw him as fragile.

"Are you okay?" she would ask. Are you okay? Yamato gritted his teeth. He hated that question so much. She always looked so sad around him.

"I'm okay," he would insist. She wouldn't say a word. Only that sad little smile.

Yamato gritted his teeth. Just thinking about that smile pissed him off.

Then, he paused.

The tadpole happened to look around him. None of the trees and brown grass looked familiar to him. _Did I wander out too far?_ Yamato took a long look around him. At first, nothing looked out of place. But then, he looked behind him. A small dark blue tent sat between two skinny trees. Upon a closer look, it looked it hadn't survived the rainy season. It was a miracle that it was still standing. Yamato could see through the other side with the giant holes.

That wasn't the only thing he found.

A double-sized futon lay nearly camouflaged in the grass. The dents and the mess said it had just been slept in. A fire pit looked like it had just been put out. Yamato tilted his head.

"Who was camping out here?" he asked. The worst of it would be there when he turned around.

A group of trees stood inches away from him. When Yamato turned around, something else caught his eye. Every single tree had a missing persons poster on them. These weren't new either. Yamato walked over for a closer look. Some looked brand new. Others looked wrinkled, old, and faded. Each poster came from all over the country from different years. They came from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The earliest the posters dated back was 1981. Yamato took a step back.

"Damn, that is creepy," he said. The tadpole found himself slowly backing away.

II: Kiss:

Here they went again.

The mistress began to smirk. "Time to play." Allen glared at her. He would not play her game. But she would see otherwise.

"On your knees," she commanded. Like he had a choice. The angel sank to his knees. Road's lips curved into a smirk. She would break him down piece by piece.

"Excellent," she said. "Come to me." Allen cursed himself in his head as he crawled forward. His mistress patted him on the head.

"Good boy," she cooed. "Good boy." Road now had the look of a thirsty demon on her face. And now the games could begin.

III: Little Shoes

Little shoes have been appearing all over Ikebukuro. Some were attached to the trees in the park. Some sat on the sidewalk. Some were even on the power lines. There was something weird about these shoes. They were all… children's shoes.

Nobody could figure out why they were there.

"You keep seeing them too, huh?" Goro asked.

"Uh-huh," Akane said. They looked four pairs of sneakers near a puddle in the road. These weren't any special sneakers. They looked worn out and beat up. The outside was covered in mud. Neither child dared to go near them. In fact, everyone tried to avoid the little shoes. How long had these shoes had been there?

That particular day it was raining. Akane and Goro should've been at their respective homes. But those worn, muddy sneakers commanded their attention. They had to get to the bottom of this mystery. The children held their orange lanterns by their sides. Akane and Goro didn't speak at first. They kept their eyes forward in fact.

"What will we do after we… you know?" Akane asked. Goro didn't turn his head.

"I don't know," he said. All chatter fell as they came to the street where the sneakers were still sitting. The children looked at each other. They held their lanterns at their sides. Akane and Goro took one more look at each other before walking up to the shoes. The little mob princess froze when she looked in the puddle.

"Goro, look!" she said, pointing to the surface of the water.

"Huh?" the boy asked as he turned to look. Both saw four skinny little legs reflected in the water. They hoovered above the old muddy shoes. When the living children looked up, there was nothing there. Goro covered his mouth.

"This must be…" he said in a low voice. The legs reflected in the water as the rain poured on. The children in the water said one thing. Only one thing that the living children could barely make out. But it still chilled Akane and Goro to their guts.

"We are coming."

IV: Nip

She had so much that she wanted to do with him. Here he was at her mercy. Road ran her fingers along his back.

"You are so beautiful," she whispered in his ear. Allen wouldn't even look at her. Her voice made his stomach turn. Road moved around and kissed him on the lips again. He didn't try to push her off. He's lost that will. She bit down on his lower lip. Allen shivered as a little bit blood slipped into her mouth. Road drew back, smiling. Already, she knew what she wanted to do. Allen's eyes widened when he saw the look on her face.

"What?" he asked. Road walked forward with a sway in her step. She grabbed him by the hair again.

"I have a new game for us to play," she said. Road tried not to laugh but filled miserably. Allen began to panic as she dragged him over to her bed. He fell back with a plop. The mistress climbed on top.

V: Hunting:

She can only see red.

Chiharu panted heavily. How many days had it been? The hunger turned in her body. She gasped in pain. The faint whispering wouldn't stop.

_Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill._

Her heart pounded against her chest. The past few days disappeared in a blur. How many people had she eaten? Ten? Twenty? Fifty?

Chiharu's body trembled.

She always woke up covered in blood. The angel would find herself surrounded by blood and guts. Her mouth would be covered in blood. Their empty dead eyes haunted her. The only thing Chiharu could do was to go and hunt for more. The hunger took control of her mind and body.

* * *

Speaking of which, Chiharu froze. There it was again. She needed more. There was only one thing to do. The angel crouched down on the ground and took off through the city again. No one could see her running by.

Mikado and Masaomi walked around the streets with stun guns in hand.

"Do you see her anywhere yet?" Masaomi asked.

"No," Mikado said. They had been searching for three days. The body count kept rising. The boys needed to find Chiharu and fast. Suddenly, Mikado's phone buzzed. He took it out of his jacket pocket.

"What is it?" Masaomi asked.

"A text from Kurosawa-san," Mikado said. "She's spotted Hashimoto running towards the Sunshine 60 Building."

"Alright," his friend said. "Let's go." The tadpole boy grabbed his friend by the hand and took off running like a rocket.

VI: Bite

She bit into his neck. Allen clenched his teeth, refusing to scream. He was not going to submit to her game. No, not this time. Road looked him in the eye.

"What shall we play today?" she asked. He didn't answer. She smirked at the rage in his eyes. Fine. She is in the mood for a challenge. How would he take on this?

Road grabbed him by the shoulder and flipped him onto his stomach. Allen tried to look up but she forced his head forward. Her lips came within inches of his ear.

"I am going to change that attitude of yours," she purred in his ear. The monster playfully nipped him on the right ear. Allen winced as he tried not to picture what would be coming next.

Road on the other hand could already see how this was going to play out. And she enjoyed every second of it.

VII: Neighbor Next Door:

Saburo finally made it home for the evening. Erika and Walker wore him out with their otaku chatter. Kadota's mind seemed to be elsewhere. Probably on that strange girl they saw the other day. Who knows? He just wanted to go to bed.

Saburo started to unlock the door. But then he paused. He turned and looked up next door. A woman stood at that door. She had her eyes focused downwards. Her clothing looked disheveled. Her dress was stained and wrinkled. Her long black hair didn't know what a comb was. She seemed to be mumbling to herself. Saburo gave her a strange look.

"Hey," he said. "Are you okay?" The woman didn't answer. She didn't even look up.

"Hello?" he asked. "You okay? Hello? Hello?" His neighbor still didn't answer. She just opened her door and walked inside. Saburo just stood there as the door swung closed.

"That was weird," he muttered to himself. He would've left it at that if there weren't more strange things that followed.

Around three in the morning, Saburo awoke to pounding on his door. The man grumbled as he wandered down the hall.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Saburo shouted. He made it to the door and opened it wide. A confused look came over his face. A woman in her mid-forties in a bathrobe stood outside. She had a panicked look on her face. Saburo blinked for a minute.

"Suzuki?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" The woman shuffled in place as if to calm herself down.

"Hey, have you heard anything about Yamashita-san?" Suzuki asked. At first, the lights didn't turn on for the van driver.

"Yamashita-san?" Saburo asked.

"Yes, she lives next door to you," Suzuki said. It took a moment to connect the dots. He remembered that strange woman standing at her door mumbling to herself. She didn't even acknowledge him before going into her apartment.

"Okay… what about her?" he asked. A grave look came across his neighbor's face.

"She's dead," Suzuki said in a soft voice. "She hanged herself."

"When did this happen?" Saburo asked.

"Three weeks ago," she said. "They just now found the body." He slowly shook his head.

"That can't be right," the man said. "I just saw her yesterday."

"No, come look," Suzuki said. She led him to the stairs and pointed to the ground. The EMT's were loaded a covered body into a silent ambulance parked in the street. Police spoked with the neighbors below. Saburo couldn't make sense of any of it.

"The landlady found her like that last night when neighbors kept complaining about the smell and Yamashita-san hadn't been paying her bills," Suzuki added.

"Then… who was that I saw yesterday?" Saburo asked.

VIII: Scratch

She brought out her kit today. Road looked at all of the tools on the floor.

Cat o' Nine Tails

Handcuffs

Ring gag

Blindfold

Lube

A giant black strap-on

Vibrating toys

Knives

Riding crop

Matches

Hooks

Rope

Ball gag

Leather blindfold

Road looked at all of her tools and smirked. Good, everything was all here. Now they could begin. The monster smirked as turned to face Allen still lying face down on her bed. She walked over and got to work.

IX: Bakeneko:

They are everywhere now. As more gates open, more bakeneko appear. Some even cover the whole street. Now, more people see them. Some can ignore them. Other's can't.

Tetsu backed away from the window, shaking. Eight bakeneko stared at him from across the apartment. He gulped as he closed the curtain.

"Are you okay?" Taichi asked from the kitchen. Tetsu turned around, smiling.

"Yeah," he lied. "I'm fine." Taichi watched on from the table.

"You can see them too?" he asked. The tadpole froze.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're shaking," his boyfriend said.

"Huh?" the fire tadpole asked as he looked down at his hand. His right hand shook as he grabbed the edge of the sink. He started to make holes into the counter. Tetsu let go of it.

"I'm so sorry," he said. Taichi stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay," he whispered. "I am here for you." That should've helped Tetsu. He gave his partner a sad smile.

"What's the matter?" Taichi asked. The tadpole boy lowered his eyes.

"You can see them too, can't you?" he whispered. Taichi didn't speak at first.

"Yes," he whispered.

"For how long?"

"A couple of months now."

Tetsu started to tremble. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to upset you. You already had so much going on with this whole tadpole thing. If I told you, you would freak out more." Taichi frowned when he saw the look on his partner's face.

"Tetsu-kun, look at me," he said. "Look at me." The fire tadpole lifted his eyes upwards. Taichi gave him a small smile.

"I was only trying to protect you," he said in a low voice.

"H-H-How do you manage to stay calm around them?" Tetsu asked. "Every time I see them, I freak out."

"I just ignore them," his partner said. At first, the fire tadpole looked confused.

"What?" he asked.

"It's easier than you think," Taichi said. "You just need to find something to distract you." Tetsu was about to open his mouth but his boyfriend quickly kissed him. The tadpole's heart pounded in his chest. He struggled to comprehend where this was going before giving into the kiss.

The boys ended up kissing all the way into the living room. Tetsu was pushed back onto the couch. When he looked up at the apartment window, three bakeneko sat watching him. Taichi grabbed the tadpole by the cheeks and turned his face to his.

"Don't focus on them!" he said. "Focus on me!" Taichi took off his shirt and tossed it across the room. He dove in for another kiss. Tetsu kissed him back. His partner reached down and slid off his shirt. The tadpole let himself go into Taichi's distraction plan.

Moments later, Tetsu lay awake in his boyfriend's arms. He smiled as he looked at Taichi's sleeping face. Well, he was right about the distraction part. His gaze turned to their window. The three bakeneko still outside, watching him. Tetsu started to panic but tightly shut his eyes.

_Don't pay them any mind. Just ignore them and they will leave you alone. Just ignore them. Just ignore them._

Tetsu slowly opened his eyes. The bakeneko were gone. The fire tadpole relaxed. Maybe this could help him cope.

X: Strip

First, she gagged him. The ring gag first. Road made sure it was nice and tight. Allen didn't put up a fight. He couldn't if he wanted to. His mistress stood back, smirking. She drew out a small knife. Road's fingers ran down his back.

"Where is the right place to cut?" she asked. This didn't surprise him. Road looked down at him, studying the skin. One space needed to be cleared enough to do this. The mistress frowned.

"No good," she muttered. Road paused. She flipped Allen over onto his back. The angel tried to figure out what she was doing. He couldn't speak clearly because of the gag. Road studied the front side of his body for a moment. She narrowed her eyes. Her fingers ran down to the middle of his chest. She stopped above his heart.

"Ah," the monster said. Road picked up her knife and stuck the tip of the blade into the skin. Allen winced at the lingering pain. His mistress began to move her knife. She didn't use long strokes either. No, each stroke was short and deep. Allen wanted to scream but the gag prevented this. His body tried to wince away from the knife. Road gritted her teeth.

"Keep still!" she snapped. "I have to finish this before we can begin!" Allen's eyes widened. _Wait… Don't tell me…_

Road finished with the last cuts in his chest. She drew out her knife and looked at her handy work. Her lips curved into a smirk.

"It's beautiful!" she said. Against his better judgment, Allen looked down at his chest. His eyes widened as he screamed through is gag. Road had carved an R and the Kanji for "slave" into her pet's chest.

XI: Accident on the Road:

Chiho stood on the side of the road again. She had just now started to remember the day she died. The ghost held her head and moaned.

"What seems to be the problem?" someone asked. Chiho paused and turned her head. Azazel walked towards her with his hands in his pockets.

"Good evening," he greeted her. The ghost shivered as she backed away.

"W-W-Who are you?" she asked.

"Aw, do not fear me, my dear," the demonic man said. "I come with an offer for you." The female ghost gave him a strange look.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Don't you want to know who hit you?" Azazel asked. Chiho's eyes grew wide.

"What?" she asked. "You know who killed me?"

"No," he admitted. "But I can track them down for you. If you do something for me in return." Chiho froze. Her mind went back to the day she died.

-1979-

Chiho's boyfriend was running late because of work. They didn't have cell phones back then either. She waited in front of the coffee shop they were supposed to meet up at. When she did see him across the street, she grew excited. The woman ended up running across the street to meet her boyfriend.

But a dark green Honda came speeding down the street. She could never see the driver's face. By the time Chiho turned her head, it was too late. She went sailing through the air before hitting the asphalt. The last thing she saw was the driver getting into their car and driving away.

-2015-

"They didn't stop," Chiho said in a trembling voice. "They just left me to die!" Azazel watched as her anger started to bubble. The ghost snapped her head forward.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked. The demon's lips curved into a smirk.

"Excellent," Azazel said. "First, we need to talk." His tone made Chiho realize just what she had agreed to.

XII: Whip

Road blew on the fresh wounds. Allen winced at the sensation. She made it worse by licking up the blood. This was low even for her. _She branded me. She actually did it._

She flipped him onto his stomach. She bound his hands behind his back. Road took the time to make the knots nice and tight. The mistress sat back, smirking.

"Now we can really play!" she said. "Crop or nine tails?" The monster looked down at Allen. He still had the look of shock from being branded. One look at his ass told her what she needed to use.

"Crop it is, then," Road said. She picked up the riding crop. The feel of the real leather made the monster smile. She turned back to Allen and pulled him into her lap.

"How many licks do you want?" she asked. The angel screamed something through his gag. Road giggled.

"Ten licks then," she said. She raised her riding crop high above her head.

Whack!

Allen screamed through his gag. Whack! Whack! Whack! The angel started moaning just before the fifth whack. Road paused with a curious look on her face with the crop in the air.

"Are you enjoying this?" she asked. Allen moaned as he shook his head. Road turned his face to look at her. One look at the pupils in his eyes gave her the answer that she needed.

"Heh," the monster said. "I love how you say no but your eyes betray you." Whack! Whack! Whack! She could feel him getting hard against her thigh. Just three more to go.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

Road lowered her riding crop.

"Now I'm bored," she said. The monster paused when she heard whimpering underneath her. She looked down to see Allen looking up at her with big eyes. Road giggled.

"Aw, do you want more?" she asked. Allen gave her a weak nod. His mistress smirked at the pitiful look in his eyes.

"Heh, alright," she said. "But first…" Road pushed aside her pet and walked over to her table across the room. She picked up the blindfold and walked over to Allen. She blinded him with the leather material and moved him back over her knee. Her lips gently leaned down to his left ear.

"This will make this more interesting," she whispered. Hearing her say that made Allen shiver. Road smirked and raised her crop again.

Whack!

XIII: Have You Passed Through This Night?

-Three Nights Ago-

Emi turned to Mikado on his futon. "Tell me, what will you do when the end comes?" The tadpole boy lifted his head.

"Huh?" he asked.

"What will you do when the end comes?" she asked again.

"I… I don't know," he said. "I don't want to think about that." They've had this conversation before. He didn't have an answer then either.

"But you will have to," Emi said. "The end is coming after all."

"No," Mikado said. "It can't be. I won't let it!" Emi took hold of his hand.

"I know you won't," she said. "But how are you going to do that? Have you even passed through this night?" Mikado lifted his head.

"You've asked me this before and I still don't know what you mean," he said. Emi gave him a little smile.

"I don't think I can explain it to you now," she said. Mikado frowned.

"Look," Emi said. "You will be able to stop this. You aren't alone. You have me. You have all of us. You have an army at your disposable." She was right. Mikado had the Dollars, Purgatory, his fellow tadpoles, and countless admirers who would do anything to win his affection. Emi had a strong grasp on his hands.

"Use us in any way you see fit," she said. That was phrase was all it took for Mikado to see what he needed to do next.

"Any way?" he asked.

"Yes," Emi said. Mikado sat up on his futon.

"I need you to look after Anri," he said.

"Done," the prostitute said. "We will be watching her around the clock!"

"Thank you," the tadpole boy said. He blushed as she kissed him on the cheek. Emi's lips curved into a catlike smile.

XIV: Suck

Road tossed aside her crop and panted.

"Well, that was good," she said. The monster looked down at Allen with his ass red and sore.

"What shall we play next?" she asked. Her voice sounded so distant to her pet.

"What should we do next?" she asked. Allen glanced up at her. He wasn't fully there anymore. Meanwhile, Aizen was happily having another feast. His mistress smiled as the wheels in her head started to turn. Allen's heart jumped into his throat.

_No… Please… No more. What else could you possibly do to me?_

The hungry look in Road's eyes made him panic. She rose to her feet.

"I have just the thing," the monster said. Allen froze in his gag. Road walked up to him. She broke into a huge grin.

"I always wanted to try this," Road purred in his ear. Allen squealed behind his gag as his pulse quickened. His mistress giggled and blindfolded him again. She walked over to her table and grabbed the items she would need next.

XV: The Body:

Click.

Three detectives stood around the body. Fear remained permanently in the victim's eyes. The lead detective tilted her head.

"Any id?" she asked.

"The name is Yamada Eriko," her partner said. "She was the caretaker of Nakashima-san."

"Ah," the female detective said. "What about Nakashima-san?"

"He's been in the hospital due to illness," her other partner said. "His children are with him down."

"I see," the female detective said. She turned to the maid. The forty-something woman still looked shaken up from the discovery. The maid looked up when the detective stood in front of her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. The maid shook her head.

"Did Yamada-san have any known enemies?" the detective asked. The older woman had a grim look on her face.

"No," she whispered.

"Want to take a walk to calm down?" the younger woman asked. The maid nodded.

"Okay," the detective said. She walked the maid away from the crime scene. Her colleagues looked around at the yen bills on the floor.

"What type of message do you think the killer was sending?" one of them asked. The other detective looked at the bills on the floor and in the victim's mouth.

"I would say don't be a greedy pig," he said. "At least that's what I am getting from this." The man looked down at the body. Something about the MO looked so familiar…

XVI: Lick

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Allen could barely keep his body up. Minutes earlier, he heard a clicking noise. Footsteps walked up towards him. The buzzing started off soft. Road walked over to her blindfolded and gagged pet. It amazed her that he hadn't tried to escape by now. Looked Aizen was really getting to his full potential.

"I have a new little toy for you," Road said. The angel froze at her words. _No…_ She patted him on the head.

"I have a little vibrating friend for you," the monster whispered. She reached over her bed and pulled out a bottle of lube. The cap opened with a pop. Allen shivered as he felt the cold water-based gel filling his hole. His body tensed up as two fingers slid in and out.

"Oh!" Road said. "Looks like you don't really need for me to do much more. But a little more won't hurt, will it?" Allen could only moan through his gag. Road laughed as she continued her prep work.

Suddenly, she withdrew her fingers. Allen started to whimper, feeling cold. Road smirked at his reaction. She held up the long fat black vibrator in her hand.

"Do you want me to start off slow with this toy?" she asked. Allen quickly shook his head. Road raised her eyebrow.

"You want it really fast?" she asked. He nodded with shame as he whimpered.

"Heh, bold little boy, aren't you?" she asked. Road cranked the vibrator to highest notch and shoved it into the hole. Allen moaned at the humiliating sensation. His mistress snickered as she picked up a giant cat 'o nine tails.

XVII: Little Reapers:

Izaya tried to ignore it at first but it grew more frequent. He noticed more and more children frowning and waving at him. They looked so creepy as they did so. One minute, they would be all upbeat and child-like. But when they saw him, the children would go quiet. The looks in their eyes could turn cold. They would glare at him as they gave him a little wave. It happened this morning, in fact.

He had just come out of a net café. Izaya couldn't trust his two remaining apartments anymore. Whoever bombed the first one and had him swatted probably wasn't done with him yet. He needed to find who it was and put an end to it. Sadly, they were just as good as covering their tracks as he was with his planning. The information broker needed to come at it from a different angle.

However, something else caught his attention.

A girl about six years old stood across the street from him. She looked so cute in her long little white dress. Her long black hair hung around her sides like a little cape. This child almost looked like a little angel. Almost. She too had a cold look in her eyes. The little girl raised her little hand and waved at him. Izaya had been ignoring it up until this point. But something about this child made him shiver.

Suddenly, a lady rushed out the convenient store and grabbed the little girl by the hand. Her assumed daughter perked up as she was led away. The feeling of unease didn't leave the pit of Izaya's stomach.

* * *

"I'm home," Izaya said. Kururi perked up from the couch.

"Welcome home, brother!" she said in cutesy voice. Her joy faded away when she noticed the look on his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Izaya shook his head as he closed the door behind him.

"Hey, Kururi," he said. His sister had her eyes locked on him.

"What?" she asked.

"Have you noticed anything strange about the kids?" Izaya asked.

"Even more strange than usual?" his sister asked. The information broker nodded. Kururi took a moment to think.

"No," she said. "Why do you ask?" Izaya shook his head.

"Oh, no reason," he lied. Kururi had a confused look on her face as her brother waltzed back to his room. The door closed further down the hall. He didn't need for her to see how panicked he was. Her response alone told him all that he needed to know.

Meanwhile, two children dressed in long white robes floated outside watching him with scythes in their hands. They had only one thought in mind.

Soon…

XVIII: First Base

The line between pleasure and pain can be easily blurred. Allen learned that really quickly. His muzzled moans filled the room. Road didn't relent with the whips of her cat o' nine tails. Her whipping got faster and faster. Aizen enjoyed the sensation as well. Road looked down at Allen's back. Another thought ran through her mind.

"I have another idea," she said aloud. Allen froze but found himself unable to think straight. He let out a muffled respond.

"Heh," was all Road said. She set down her cat o' nine tails and walked back over to her table. She picked up another small knife and walked over to Allen. The monster looked over his back through the scarring. Could she even pull it off and make it look nice?

It would be worth a shot.

Road ran her fingers down his spine. She moved her hand up his back again. The monster finally settled on the back of his right shoulder. Her lips curved into a smile.

"Perfect," she said. The monster picked up her knife.

Allen screamed through his gag. He could feel the tip of the blade digging into his skin. The movements weren't as big as the ones on his chest were. Road smiled as she worked. Each cut made her that much thirstier. It took all of her self-control to finish her work. After the last stroke, she drew back her knife. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"It's beautiful!" she said. Part of Allen wished that he could turn and look up. More whip lashes ended up distracting him instead. Road came in with more force due to her hunger.

XIX: Lost Child:

-Shinjuku-

She heard the call again. Now, she didn't have anywhere to go. She couldn't stay in that shop forever. The situation had shifted for her to go on the run and pick up her unknown mission again.

-Seventy-Two Hours Earlier-

The man of the ramen shop decided to call the police.

"119, what is your emergency?" the operator asked.

"Um… I have a lost child in my restaurant," the man said. "She's been with me for a couple weeks now."

"Do you know anything about her?" the operator asked.

"No," he said. "She doesn't seem to know anything about herself either. I tried talking to her, but she won't give me any answers."

"Is she hurt in anyway?"

"Except for a large scar on her right eye, no. Not from what I saw."

"Where is the child now?"

"In my kitchen at the Lucky Noodle shop. I'm in Shinjuku. I have a giant crane sign on top of the front. You can't miss it."

"Okay, we will send police on the way."

"Thank you so much. I will try to keep her here until then." The cook hung up and took a breath.

"Right," he said to himself. The cook turned and walked back inside. He had convinced himself that he did the right thing.

Moments later, three men dressed in black came to the noodle shop. The owner was just about done setting up for the night shift. A confused look came over his face. Meanwhile, the child stayed hidden in the kitchen. She held her hand to her chest as the men stood outside, waiting. The owner walked over to the glass doors.

"Hey, are you with the police?" he asked.

"Yes," one of the men said. The shop owner slowly nodded. Something didn't seem right about this. He slowly backed away from the door.

"Would you like to come in?" he asked. The men didn't answer as they walked inside. The owner cast a slight glance at the kitchen. Meanwhile, he got a better look at his guests. They all dressed up in nice black suits. One had a pair of sunglasses on. Another's hat tipped down to hide his face. The shop owner held his phone by his side.

"You guys got here really fast," he said. "I just called a couple of minutes ago. It must be a slow day for you guys."

"Yes," Sunglasses said. Their voices sounded so monotone as they spoke. The third man kept his hands in his pockets.

"I see…" the owner said.

"So where is the child?" the Hat guy asked.

"Oh," the other man said. "She's around in the kitchen." He walked over to the doorway.

"It's okay, dear," the owner said. "You can come out. These nice men are going to take you with them. They are going to help you find your…"

Stab!

Blood ran from the owner's mouth. He didn't even get time to react. The tip of the blade came out through his chest on the other side. The man with the shades pulled out the sword and dropped it to his side. The owner fell to the floor with a thud.

"Found her," the man with his hands in his pockets said. His companions turned to him.

"Where?" Hat man asked. The man drew out his right hand and pointed under the sink. He and his other two companions walked over and opened the cabinet. The child sat under the sink with her knees to her chest. Her little eye was widened as they stared at her. Sunglasses held out his hand.

"You have to come with us," he said. "You should not exist in this world. The people that let you back in should not have done so. Come back with us. We'll take you back to where you belong." The little girl blinked at him.

"I… should exist?" she asked. The sound of her own voice surprised her.

"Yes," Sunglasses said. "Just come with us." Something about his voice sounded so soothing to her little ears. He seemed to have put her under a trance with every word. She started to crawl out of her hiding place. The child couldn't help it. Her fingertips about touched Sunglasses'.

_No!_

The little girl snapped out it and slapped the man's hand away. Sunglasses gritted his teeth.

"No!" the child cried.

"You!" he snapped. The little girl took off running as fast as she could out of the ramen shop. Hat guy and Pocket guy tried to grab her but she proved to fast for them. She ran out the door and all way to freedom.

-Now-

Lately, the child was having strange visions. The room was pitch black with nothing inside. The only thing present was a full-length mirror. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary mirror. But she could hear a voice from the glass. A voice calling out to her.

Ojo-chan. Ojo-chan. Ojo-chan.

Ever since before the shop owner's death, the child started to have this reoccurring dream. The voice was barely audible but it was there. They desperately wanted to talk to her. She didn't know who it was or what it meant. All that she knew was that she had to get to Ikebukuro before it was too late.

XX: Second Base:

Road stared at her pet.

"What shall we play next?" she asked. Allen breathed heavily through his nose. Road tried to think. This teasing was fun. But there had to be more. Road looked back at all of her tools. Right now, nothing was calling to her. She didn't want to ride him just yet. He needed to be broken mentally. Time to get more hands-on.

Road turned off the vibrator. Allen turned his head. He couldn't see but started whimpering. Aizen jumped around hungry for more. Allen could hear him squealing in his ear. Wait… Had he ever done that before.

Road patted him on the head.

"Don't you worry," she purred. "I'm not done with you yet." The monster turned and walked to her bed. She reached under and pulled out a strange battery-like device. This was gift to her last month. Road kept meaning to use it but never got around to using it.

Until tonight.

Road looked up at her pet. She was going to enjoy this. The monster grabbed Allen by the hair and pulled him to his feet. He heard rope tied to wood. His body was pushed back onto her bed. First his right wrist was tied to the headboard. Then the left. Both really tight. Road tugged on his writs. She sat back and smiled. Next, the mistress reached down to her battery and set it on the bed. Road picked the two metal clamps and hooked each one to her pet's nipples. Allen winced at the pinching sensation on his skin. Road licked her lips at his reaction.

"Perfect," she said. One flip of the switch and the next round of the game began.

XXI: Mollie the Witch:

Her mind is slipping away. Mollie used to be so beautiful. Now, she's a hot mess. Hair always never combed. Heavy bags until her glassy eyes. When was the last time she had a bath or got dressed? There is only one maid that will stay with her now. Her husband doesn't notice. Or rather he does and pretends not to? Where was he anyway?

Okay, let's back up a bit.

Lately, Mollie has been acting strangely. She giggles to herself and sees things that aren't there. Mr. Dylan didn't get what was going on at first.

"Something funny, dear?" he asked. His wife turned to him, smiling.

"No," she said. Something about how she said that made him shiver. Her husband tilted his head.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked. Mollie seemed to sway as she walked up to him. She threw her arms around his neck.

"Darling," she said. "I am fine. I am still here. Why wouldn't I be?" Scott gently pushed Mollie off. He wasn't too convinced of his wife's sanity.

He would be right to be so in the coming weeks.

From the moment Michiko and Masaomi saw her on balcony, Mollie was far gone. Her eyes had no life to them. Michiko's stomach dropped when she saw what had happened.

"No…" she murmured to herself. Mollie could see them but said nothing. She just turned and walked back into her apartment.

It would get worse since.

Things started to get worse on morning of August tenth. Everything started off fine like it normally did. Scott sat at the table, eating breakfast. Mollie walked by him without a word. Her husband glanced up from his plate.

"Mollie?" he asked. His wife didn't even look up. Scott held up his cup.

"Why do you keep buying the cheap shit?" he asked. "You know I only wants the rich coffee." Mollie didn't even look up. She walked up to the stove and served Scott the rest of his breakfast. Her husband looked down at his plate and sighed.

"Dear, you cooked the omelet rice too long," he said. "It looks to crisp. How long do you leave it on? Did you really follow the recipe correctly? You never were that good with cooking anyway." Mollie didn't say a word as she picked up the heavy skillet and…

Wham!

Scott fell down on the kitchen floor. His body twitched at his wife's feet.

Wham! Wham!

Scott lay motionless on the floor in his pajamas. Mollie sat down and finished off her husband's breakfast. All while the news played in the background.

That was three weeks ago. Mollie just practices her magic and acts like nothing is wrong. She's starting to let herself go. She barely left the apartment either. The rumors started to spread around the city. Not people visited the Dylans in the first place. Now they definitely wouldn't now. Mollie smiled to herself behind closed doors.

It's just another day for her. Meanwhile, Scott's body was closed up in the hall closet.

XXII: Face-Sitting:

How much could his mind take? It was amazing the shocks didn't throw off his heart. Allen didn't get time to think about that with Road's mouth on his stiff cock. She glanced up at him, a hungry devilish look in her eyes. Too bad he couldn't see her for himself. Maybe she should take the blindfold off. Road shook her head to herself.

Nah. This was fine.

Her tongue flicked the head. Allen's body jumped as he moaned through the gag. Another hard shock ran through his body. He started shaking like he was having a seizure. Road let up and took a look.

"You okay?" she asked. The monster crawled up to her pet's face. Allen's body shook violently. Road tilted her head, frowning. She looked down at her homemade battery. The monster gasped, covering her mouth at the setting. In her excitement, Road turned it up too high. She smacked herself in the forehead.

"Oh no" she said. "How did I not pay attention? I must have underestimated how powerful my battery was." Road turned to Allen.

"Hang on!" she said. "I've got you!" The monster flipped off the battery. Allen's body settled back into place. He breathed through his gag. Road leaned over him.

"I apologize for that," she said. She kissed him on the forehead. Her words did come through his brain. She doesn't mean that. Not in the way that it's supposed to mean. She wants him to last for this night. He's no good to her worn out.

"You need a break anyway," Road told him. She cut away the rope from his wrists. But the gag and blindfold remained. The mistress kissed him on the forehead.

"Rest up," she told him. "We're just about to get to the good part." Road gave him another kiss on the forehead.

"I will be right back," she whispered in his ear. With one more kiss, the monster walked out of the room. Allen heard her footsteps and the door slam shut. The angel cursed himself in his head.

Why hadn't he tried to run?

XXIII: Saki:

-Yesterday-

Masaomi came over for another visit. Saki watched him as they sat at the coffee table. Her boyfriend had his phone out once again.

"Is he okay?" Saki asked Masaomi.

"No," he said. "He won't be okay until this mess is over." Masaomi turned his head and looked at her.

"It's really bad," he said in a low voice.

"Then go back to him," Saki said. Masaomi had a look of terror in his eyes.

"I can't do that," he said. "I don't want to lose you." She gently put her hand on his.

"You won't lose me," Saki told him. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I will be fine," the girl insisted. "Mikado needs you more than me." He opened his mouth, but Saki put his finger his lips.

"Just go," she said. He lowered his eyes and dropped his shoulders.

"Fine, I will go back tomorrow," Masaomi said. Saki pulled him into her arms. Suddenly, she had another vision. Her boyfriend looked up at her.

"Saki… -chan?" he asked. His girlfriend started to shake. Her mind jumped back into that dark place she had been used to. But this one felt different.

Saki opened the door one night. She thought it was Masaomi. He had promised to come by and check on her again. Saki happily opened the door… only to have knife plunged deep into her chest. Before Saki fell, she got a good look at who her killer was. The knife went into her chest eight more times. Saki could feel the blade enter her chest as the blood sprayed everywhere. She tried to speak, but her voice came out hoarse. Tears ran down Saki's cheeks.

Masaomi stood over her with a smirk on his face.

Saki pulled away with the color drained from her face. Masaomi looked up.

"Saki-chan?" he asked. His girlfriend trembled at first.

"You wouldn't murder me, would you?" she asked. Masaomi looked so confused.

"Of course I wouldn't," he said. "Why would you ask me that?" Saki returned to normal as she gave him a calm smile.

"No, of course you wouldn't," she said. "I believe you." The Yellow Scarves shogun already figured it out.

"How much do you remember?" he asked.

"All of it," Saki said. "I remember every time that I died." Masaomi grabbed her by the hands.

"I won't let that happen," he said. Saki had a sad smile on her face.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked.

"Saki…" Masaomi said.

"I'm so sorry, Masaomi-kun," his girlfriend said. "I don't think you can save me this time."

"What do you mean?" he asked. Saki shook her head.

"I love you so much," she said. "But we do not have much time anymore."

"So that's it, huh?" Masaomi asked. "You just going to give up and die?" Saki lowered her head and mumbled something inaudible.

"What did you say?" her boyfriend asked. Saki looked him in the eye with tears in her own.

"I don't want to die," she said. Masaomi pulled her into his arms.

"I won't let you," he said. Somehow, he started to doubt his own words now.

XXIV: Spanking:

Moments later, she came back. Allen was still lying on the bed.

"Oh good, you're still here," she said. Road looked over his body.

"I don't want to try the battery on you until I work the settings correctly," she said. She took the claps off his nipples. They looked so white from the lack of blood flow to them. The monster didn't feel like it was time for the final stages of the night. There was one more bit of teasing she had to do to make it all worth it.

Road flipped Allen back onto his stomach. By this point, the angel was just going along with it. Aizen was at the base of his skull again. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

It would only be a matter of time.

Road pulled Allen into her lap. "How many licks do you want?" Allen screamed through his gag. His mistress smirked.

"Ten licks again then," she said. "Okay." Whack! Whack! Whack!

Aizen scratched at the base of Allen skull harder. He wanted to latch onto that brain stem so badly. It was a new spot that he hadn't tried. Maybe tonight he would get lucky.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

"You like this, huh?!" Road asked. "Don't you? Don't you?" The angel screamed in the gag. His mistress raised her eyebrow. She decided to humor him for a bit before going in for the kill.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch any of that," the monster said. Road reached over and untied the gag. Allen let out a loud gasp.

"That's better," his mistress said. "Now, let's try that one again. You like this, huh?" Allen clenched his teeth as he tried in a last-ditch effort to fight it.

"Well?" Road said. "Say it." Whack!

"Yes!" Allen cried.

"Yes, what?" she asked. Whack!

"I love all of it!" the angel cried. "Dominant me, mistress!" Road smirked and capped him off. Whack! Whack! She lowered her hand.

"There, was that so hard?" the mistress asked. She reached over and gagged her pet up again.

"I think I've teased you long enough," Road said. "Now it's for a little bit of reward." By now, Allen resigned himself to his fate for the rest of the night.

XXV: Night Shift II:

Arisa looked across from Joe at the nurse's station. Again. This again. How did this keep happening? Arisa tried not to make eye contact.

"How are your babies?" Joe asked. The other nurse froze. She asked this last time.

"Good," Arisa said. "Just like they were last time." Joe gave her a demonic clown-like smile.

"Is that right?" she asked.

"Yes," the nurse said, trying to stay calm. She was not going to let crazy Joe get to her tonight. Just get through this shift and make it home. Joe didn't take her eyes off of her.

"Do you still have nightmares?" she asked. The other nurse froze.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Did you used to have nightmares as a kid?" Joe asked. Arisa stole a glance up before going back to the paperwork.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm just curious," Joe lied. "Are you still having nightmares, Arisa?"

"No," the other nurse lied. Her colleague made a face as she batted her eyelashes.

"Come on," she said. "It is not good for you to lie. Why else would you have those charms all around your apartment?" Arisa about jumped.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Joe snickered.

"Judging by your reaction I know that I'm right," she said.

"What has gotten into you?!" Arisa shouted, looking up at her. Joe smirked like a drunk cat.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked. The other nurse was about to speak when the doors burst open. Everyone in the lobby looked up. A man stood in the open doorway. Despite it being summer, he had on a black hoodie and jeans. He had no shoes on his feet.

"Excuse me?" Arisa asked. "Do you need any help?" The man didn't move at first.

"Hello?" the nurse asked. The man started walking forward. He didn't walk really fast either. He looked like a zombie walking towards them. The man started mumbling to himself. He finally made it up to the front desk. Arisa backed away from the scent of alcohol, blood, BO, and sulfur. It was then she noticed the blood on his hoodie.

"What on earth?" she asked.

"It's not mine," the man said.

"What happened to you?" Arisa asked. The man didn't answer her. The nurse pressed the buttons to page for help.

"Get a doctor out here, stat!" she shouted. The hospital came to life around her. Arisa and two doctors helped the man onto the stretcher. One of the doctors flashed a light into his eyes. He then noticed the dried blood on his face. The whole time, the patient didn't have any emotion on his face. Arisa watched from the back with her hand to her chest. There was something about him. Something about the way he watched the nurse.

At the nurse's station, Joe had her eyes locked on him. She mouthed something to the patient as they wheeled him to the back.

"Welcome home, old pal."

XXVI: Worship:

She had him on all-fours again. Road had heard of doing this but never pictured actually doing it. That was until tonight. The mistress looked at the big black strap-on. Could she go through with it? Road looked up at Allen still blindfolded and gagged.

She would have to try.

Road disrobed and strapped up. First came more lube. Good think she got another bottle while she was out. She walked up and got right to work. Allen whimpered to himself at the col sensation again. His cock ached for release. He would get that soon. Road rubbed him on the back.

"You might want to brace yourself," she warned him. She positioned herself behind him. Her nails dug into his shoulders. With one thrust, Allen broke inside. Road didn't even wait to tease it out. This fever desire had to come out now! Again and again Allen felt each thrust. She seemed to be looking for that one spot to seal the final phase. The mistress grabbed him by the hair.

"How does it feel to be pounded into like this?" she asked. Her laughter mixed in with his moaning in the room. Allen had lost what was left of his mind in that moment. She had stripped of his will to fight back. But there was another problem with him.

By the first climax, he felt a tight pinch near the base of his brain. That pinch wouldn't let him come down from that sexual high Road pounded into him. He needed more. No, had to have more.

Road was happy to give it to him.

Allen started whimpering when she pulled out. The mistress smirked as she patted him on the head.

"Don't worry," she purred. "We're just getting to the good part." Allen didn't get time to figure out what that meant as she flipped him onto his back.

XXVII: Test Files:

Shingen and Emilia have more work to do. Nine more tadpoles in the area. Shinra already met eight of them. Shingen frowned behind his mask.

"How are we this behind on these notes?" he asked.

"I don't know, dear," Emilia said. "They keep moving so quickly." She opened another box and started looking. Shingen clicked his tongue. Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Excuse me," he said. He picked up his phone.

"Hello?" the older doctor asked.

"Is this the other Kishitani-sensei?" a young man's voice asked. The doctor narrowed his eyes behind his mask.

"Who's asking?" he asked.

"We've already talked to your son," the young man said. "He proved to be very helpful."

"And which one are you?" Shingen asked. There was a pause over the line.

"So nice to pick up on who you're talking to," the young man said. Shingen looked over at his young wife. Emilia pulled out a notepad and pen.

"What do I owe the pleasure of you calling me?" the older doctor asked.

"Oh, just to see who is trying to experiment on us now," the young man said.

"I guarantee you that we are nothing like Chou Mori."

"And why would we trust your word on that?"

"You don't have much of choice, do you?"

"Oh, we will find ways. We have been doing well so far."

"True, but it doesn't hurt to have someone else in your corner."

"Yes, but I don't think that is you."

Meanwhile, Emilia kept looking through the files. She opened another box and started looking. These were set in 1998. Emilia looked through each file one at a time. She remembered something that she saw a while back.

"Dear," the young researcher said. Shingen waved her off.

"It wouldn't hurt to at least meet us," he said over the phone. "You already met my son."

"Why should we?" the young man asked. "What could you possibly give us in return?"

"Why don't you come down and see?" Shingen asked. Emilia thumbed through the files in front of her. They didn't just have the tadpoles' files either. It was her idea of looking through the other patient files.

"Why would we do that?" her husband asked. The young researcher shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "It might give us something." He didn't argue with her. Any type of lead would be good right now. Emilia came across one file in particular.

"Dear," she said again. Shingen tried to wave her off again. But this time, she grabbed his arm. Her husband lifted his head.

"What?" he asked.

"Look at this," she said. Emilia shoved the file in his face. Her husband took a look. He narrowed his eyes at the file's name.

"Excuse me just a minute," he told the young man on the phone. He lowered it and looked at his wife.

"Where did you get this file?" Shingen asked.

"It was in this box here," Emilia said. She slid across the box labeled "1998". Shingen picked up his phone.

"Listen, we're going to continue this some other time," he said. "Something just came up. Goodbye." The older doctor hung up and turned back to his wife.

"Dear?" Emilia asked. Shingen reached forward and grabbed her by the hands.

"I think you might have just gave us the advantage that we need to stop this game," he said.

XXVIII: Intercourse:

Bliss. Total bliss. Allen moaned through his gag as Road rode him. She didn't even need to tie him down for this. Aizen and pleasure had sedated him well enough. Meanwhile, Road pounded into him harder and faster. When was the last time they did this? Weeks? Months? It didn't matter tonight.

Aizen himself was enjoying this new food source. It wasn't much but the trip here was so worth it. The sweet new taste of blood made him dance in joy. Allen found himself in a confusing place. He shouldn't be enjoying this but Road had pushed him that far. The angel didn't have his sanity to latch onto anymore. He could only moan through the gag again. His hips started thrusting to keep up with Road's movements. Clutching the sheets underneath him wasn't good enough. Allen grabbed her by the hips. The mistress threw back her head and moaned.

"Oh yes!" she screamed. "You are so good!" Allen's cheeks turn bright red underneath her. Sweat broke out all over his body. His mumbled cries reached their limit. Road felt generous and removed the gag one last time. Her pet let out a loud gag before moaning again.

"Say you love me," she commanded.

"No, I…" Allen said.

"Say it!" Road barked.

"I… I love you so much!" her pet cried as he reached his climax. She threw back her head and moaned as she reached her limit. Road climbed off and collapsed beside him. She took off the blindfold for the first time tonight. Allen's eyes felt out of place with the dull light from the moonlight in the window. Aizen let go of the brain stem and scampered off for another place to eat. Meanwhile, Road settled sleep next to her pet.

XXIX: Sunshine 60:

Mikado and Masaomi stood in front of the Sunshine 60 Building.

"Anything yet?" Masaomi asked. Mikado took a sniff of the air.

"Not on the ground," he said.

"So, you mean…?" his friend began to ask, pointing to the building.

"Most definitely," Mikado answered. His friend held up his stun gun.

"Ready to do this?" he asked.

"Yeah," the founder of the Dollars said. The boys walked into the building. Mikado kept his ears and nose open. They had to do this quickly as possible. The last thing they needed was to fight an unruly and starving angel on the loose.

"I don't like this," Masaomi said.

"Neither do I," Mikado said. The boys slowly walked forward, looking around.

"What do we do after we catch Chi?" the Yellow Scarf shogun asked. "We can't take her back to her place. Where are we going to keep her?"

"That I don't know…" Mikado said. That part he hadn't had time to think that far ahead. Finding Chiharu was just part one. What to do with her was on a different level. She was a wild animal now. A normal room wouldn't be enough to keep her. He hated to put her in a cage. But they might have to come down to that.

Suddenly, Mikado stopped in his tracks.

"Masaomi, do you hear that?" he whispered. His friend stopped for a listen. Chomping could be heard in the distance.

"Which way?" Masaomi whispered. Mikado trained in his ears for a listen. He pointed off to his right.

"That way!" the tadpole said. The boys ran in the direction of the wet chomping. The trail led them to a corner near the staircase. Chiharu sat huddled on the ground over a half-eaten bloodied corpse. Most of the flesh was gone, exposing red muscle, guts, and bone. Blood covered her front and hands as she shoved more flesh into her mouth. Masaomi stepped back as he covered his mouth.

"Hashi… moto?" Mikado asked. The angel froze from her meal and looked up. Her eyes looked glazed over. Chiharu started panting hard. Her friends had the urge to run away. But Mikado took a step forward with his hand out.

"Hashimoto," he said. "Everyone's been looking all over for you. We've come to get you." She didn't seem to recognize them at all as she drew back, hissing.

"Come on," Mikado said. "Don't be like this. This isn't you. Come back with us." He kept his voice low and calm. He took slower steps towards the crazed girl. Chiharu hissed but didn't move. Masaomi kept his stun gun in hand. He didn't dare to move. He had seen this play out before.

"Stop killing people," the tadpole said. "It doesn't have to be like this. Just come with us. We'll take you home." The whole time, Mikado was screaming in his head. He wanted to turn around and run away. But something inside of him was telling him it would be okay. She wasn't trying to attack him. In fact, Chiharu started to back away from him. Mikado could hear her heart pounding in her chest. Why wasn't she attacking him? She even looked… afraid of him. Masaomi held his breath. Cornered and scared animals were the worst to deal with. They would do anything to fight back and protect themselves. Masaomi knew it was a good idea to stay quiet and not move. Mikado's fingertips came within inches of Chiharu's head.

"I am so sorry to do this to, Hashimoto," he said. He whipped out his stun gun and clicked it on. Chiharu started leap away and run. Masaomi didn't get to see what happened next too clearly. All he saw was Mikado leaping forward as Chiharu started to go into flight mode. With one crackling zap, the angel lay out on the floor at Mikado's feet. The tadpole took a breath.

"Okay, that's done," he said. "Let's get going."

"Right," Masaomi said. Mikado picked up the stunned Chiharu and carried her with him as he and the other boy headed out of the building. Part one of the problem was solved. They still had another issue on their hands.

What were they going to do with this feral girl now?

XXX: Climax:

Allen's mental state lay in broken pieces around him. He had a twisted, broken smile on his face. There was no life in his eyes. He had nothing to grasp onto. The only thing he could was to keep falling into submission. A tear ran down his cheek. Was this what he was going to turn into now? A mere slave to his mistress. This couldn't be it for him.

Somehow, he was okay with it.

_Allen, can you hear me?_

XXXI: Final Gate:

They have been looking for weeks. But no trace of that final gate. They have been tracing the whole city about eight times now. Almost every doll had been destroyed. Still no trace of that gate. The interns were starting to get restless. Yui sat back in the booth in the café and groaned with her head back.

"Why can't we find it?!" she wailed.

"Please keep your voice down," Yuzuru said.

"Oh sorry," her partner said. Not many people paid much attention to them in the café. Yui looked down at her glass of half-empty cola and frowned.

"What if we never find the gate?" she whimpered. "Then what?"

"We will find it," Yuzuru said. The other intern frowned.

"Let me ask you something," she said. "What do you plan to do if the game fails?" Yuzuru looked at her but said nothing. Yui looked around for a bit.

"I have been looking for other jobs recently," she whispered. Yuzuru raised her eyebrow.

"Oh, no, no," the other intern was quick to say. "Don't get me wrong. I love working with this group and Nakahara-sensei." The glow faded from her face.

"It's just good to have a back-up plan, you know?" Yui said. "How about you? Do you have anything to fall back on? I mean, you're really smart. You're one of the smartest girls I know. You don't talk much, but still." Yui leaned back in her booth.

"I think we could've been friends if I had met you earlier," she said.

"Possibly," Yuzuru said.

"Hm," Yui said. After lunch, they would have to be searching again. Meanwhile, just a few booths down, Kai heard the conversation for himself. He smirked over his green tea.

"Don't worry, dear Miike-san," the demon said to himself. "You won't have to do that." Kai finished his tea and left the money for the bill as he slipped out the back.

* * *

Kai met up with Azazeal in the streets. The man with the blue hair held out his arms.

"Well?" he asked. The man in the black coat smirked.

"It's just as you said," Azazeal said. "Your instinct was correct." Kai's curved into a smile.

"Excellent," he said. The demon pulled out his phone and made a quick text. With one push of a button, the game got pushed further ahead.

"Now what?" Azazeal asked. Kai shrugged.

"We go back to watching again," he said. The demon sounded bored as he rolled his eyes. The other demon patted him on the shoulder.

"It can't be helped," he said. Kai just frowned.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. Both men vanished into thin air.

* * *

The girls had just headed down to look through the west side of Ikebukuro when their cell phones buzzed.

"Want to bet it's the boss calling to check on us?" Yui asked. Yuzuru shrugged. The interns pulled out their phones. A confused look came over Yui's face.

"Huh?" she asked. "How did Kai get out numbers?" Her partner shook her head. Yui opened the message. Her eyes grew wide.

"Yuzuru! Did you see this?" she asked, shoving her phone in the other intern's face. Yuzuru took the phone and read it for herself. She turned and went in the opposite direction.

"Yuzuru!" Yui shouted as she ran to catch up with her.

The girls made it to the destination in question. Right away, Yuzuru's pendent started glowing. Yui's jaw dropped.

"How did we miss this one?!" she asked. She turned to her partner. "You didn't see any dolls around there, did you?" Yuzuru shook head.

"That's because it was hidden with really strong magic," a voice said behind them. The interns turned around. Kai stood behind them with his arms out, walking towards them.

"And you're welcome," he said.

"How did you find this?" Yui asked. Kai smiled as he tapped the side of his nose.

"Well, I am a demon, after all, ladies," he said. "I can see complex magic easily. Plus, I have a friend who checked this place out." But then Kai frowned.

"That little bitch managed to pull ahead of us this time," he muttered. "She must have been expecting this to happen."

"You mean Michiko-san?" Yui asked.

"Yes," he said. The interns didn't respond.

"I'm going to have to call up Hecate and tell her about this," Yui spoke up. She pulled out her phone and dialed up the nightcomer.

Yui, Yuzuru, and Kai stood in front of the final Gate to the Apocalypse: Raira Academy.


	15. Nagisa

Halo Fourteen: Nagisa:

Mikado and Masaomi walked back to Mikado's apartment with Chiharu in tow. Masaomi looked at the unconscious angel in his friend's arm.

"Are you okay with carrying her like that?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Mikado said. Chiharu hadn't stirred once. It was a good thing that the streets were virtually empty in the morning. Masaomi looked around.

"Now what?" he asked. The tadpole boy shrugged his shoulders. Mikado didn't have an answer for that. First, they had to keep her away from the police. The question was how. They could only keep her sedated for so long. She still needed to eat. Boy that was going to be a problem. How many people had she killed in three days? Tens? Hundreds? She would still need to eat more. Therein lies another problem. They couldn't turn to murder, could they?

This would not do.

"We'll have to go Shinra and Celty for that answer," Mikado said at last. Masaomi had a grim look on his friend. His friend reached into his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Where are we keeping her for now?" Masaomi asked. Mikado didn't answer as he opened the door. Chiharu's limbs swayed back and forth as he walked inside with her. The Yellow Scarves shogun followed behind.

* * *

-Junko-

The nurse sat back, laughing. She clapped her hands.

"Beautiful! Beautiful!" Junko said. She turned to her interns. Yui and Kawaguchi had small smiles on her face. Hey, their boss was happy today. Who were they to complain?

"We did it!" the nurse said. "F is back!" She threw back her head and laughed.

"Now what?" Yui asked. Junko looked her straight in the eye.

"What else?" she asked. "We have so much to do!" The nurse rose to her feet.

"F needs to evolve," she said. "We need more angels." Her interns looked confused.

"More of them?" Kawaguchi asked.

"Why yes!" Junko said. "We can't make them yet. But I have had plenty of Biddy Early made for us to do." She had a drunk cat smile on her face.

"Have any people in mind that you want to turn?" she asked. The interns stared at her with no answer to give. Their boss waved them off.

"Don't answer right away," she said. "We will have time. Yui, have you contacted them yet?"

"Yes," the intern said. "I let Mayfair-san know that we found the gate."

"Good, good," Junko said. She didn't take her gaze off the intern. Yui looked a little confused.

"Is… something the matter?" she asked. Junko frowned.

"Takase Yui," she said. "You wouldn't be thinking about leaving us, would you?" Kawaguchi turned to his coworker with a stunned look on his face.

"Of course not!" the intern said. The nurse didn't speak at first. She frowned as she narrowed her eyes. On the surface, Yui looked calm. None of the normals spoke. Junko slammed her hand down on the binder.

"Keep this in mind," she said. "Your loyalties lie here with us. If leave, you will not be allowed back. In some cases, we can't trust you not to talk. When that happens…" Junko ran her finger over her throat. Yui and Kawaguchi stared at her with big eyes. The nurse broke into a little smile.

"We don't want to do that," she said. "You all are very valuable to us. Plus, it would be a pain with the paperwork. Understood?" Yui and Kawaguchi nodded. Junko smiled.

"Good," she said. "Think of people you want to turn into angels. We're going to need more test subjects." The nurse turned back to her computer. Her interns stood, looking pale.

"Why are you just staying there?" Junko asked. "You have work to do! Get on it!" The interns leapt up and started on working. The nurse smirked to herself.

* * *

-Nagisa-

-7:00 a.m.-

Mikado had to keep Chiharu locked in his bathroom.

"Are you that's a good idea?" Masaomi asked last night. Mikado blocked the door with furniture.

"It will have to do for now," the tadpole said. "I will talk to Shinra in the morning." He turned to his friend. "I will keep watch over her tonight." Masaomi didn't say anything. Something told him that this wouldn't really be a good idea. Mikado didn't need to hear his friend's thoughts to understand the sentiment.

By sunrise, Masaomi headed out to get breakfast. Chiharu didn't make that much noise for the rest of the early morning.

"You think she's still alive in there?" Masaomi whispered.

"Yeah," Mikado said. "A stun gun isn't going to take her out too easily. Plus, she's been feeding for the past three days. I think she's going to be fine." It wasn't going to be much but that would have to do for now. Mikado looked up at his friend.

"Don't go out," he said. Masaomi eyed the tadpole boy.

"It's just going to be a short trip," he said. "I will be right back. I promise." The founder of the Dollars knew that he couldn't convince him otherwise. Masaomi just needed a break from all of this. Saki,

"Please be careful," Mikado told him.

"Okay," Masaomi said. "I'm off now." He turned and walked out the door. Mikado gave him a small wave. He turned back to the bathroom. Chances were, Chiharu was in the same boat he was. They were going to be stuck like this forever. He a godlike being and her a savage beast. That brought about thought into Mikado's mind. Why didn't Chiharu try to attack him when he walked up to her? She looked scared of him in fact. But why? They were the same as they had always been. Well, not counting the experiments done on their bodies of course. Maybe Shinra and his father could answer that.

Mikado became distracted by the sound of wings flapping. The tadpole turned his head and his jaw dropped. A small red-crowned crane sat on his futon. The bird shook its head and flapped its wings. At first, Mikado looked confused.

"What the…?" he asked. The crane looked up at him. They stared at each for five minutes. Mikado took slow steps backwards.

"How did you get in here?!" he asked. "What is a crane doing in my room?!" He sensed something off about this bird. What was a red-crowned crane doing in Tokyo? Every fiber in his being shouted at him to run. The crane tilted its head. It opened its beak and squawked. Mikado turned and raced out of his apartment. Just outside, Masaomi had bags of food in his arms. The tadpole boy stood at the top of the stairs, panting.

"Mikado?" Masaomi asked. "What's wrong? What are you doing out here?" Mikado trembled as he pointed at his door.

"Crane… Crane!" he shouted. "There's a crane! There's a crane!" Masaomi gave him a strange look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. Mikado found himself calmer to talk again.

"There is a crane sitting on my futon," he said.

"What?" his friend asked. Masaomi walked up the stairs and went inside.

"Wait!" Mikado shouted, running after him. Both boys made it back inside. When Masaomi looked, he froze in his tracks.

"Mikado, who is this?" he asked.

"Huh?" the tadpole boy asked. When he looked in his room, a girl with long red hair sat in place of the crane. She looked to be about twenty-one years old. A black satin scarf tied back her hair. She had on a black shirt that showed off her shoulders and white shorts. Her white star earrings looked so cute. Both boys looked confused.

"Uh… Who are you?" Masaomi asked. The woman looked up.

"I do apologize for breaking in like this," she said, bowing her head. "I didn't mean to startle you." The boys looked at each other for a moment before this turned back to the woman.

"Who are you?" Mikado asked. "What are you doing here? How did you find my apartment?"

"Oh yeah," the woman said. "I almost forgot. My name is Nagisa. Pleased to meet you." The woman bowed her head. Mikado only had one question for her.

"Were you that crane I saw earlier?" he asked.

"Yes," Nagisa admitted. "I am a familiar. I found your apartment because you gave me the address." The tadpole boy had a confused look on his face.

"No, I didn't," he said.

"You did, but you don't remember now," she said. "I came because the seventh gate has been located." Mikado froze.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "What gate?" The crane familiar's face grew grim.

"The Gate to the Apocalypse," she said. The color drained from the boys' faces. Her words struck up a hint of a distant memory from an earlier time.

"Where is your master now?" Mikado asked.

"Back at home," Nagisa said. "I got here while he was still asleep in bed."

"We have to go to your place now!" the tadpole boy said.

"What about Chiharu?" Masaomi asked.

"Oh right!" Mikado said. "Shinra and Celty's place first and then to Nagisa-san's." He took a breath.

"Right," he said. "We have to get going. I'll grab Chiharu."

"Got it," Masaomi said. Nagisa watched as the boys walked over to the blocked bathroom door.

* * *

-Shingen-

His wife was the one who made the discovery. Shingen sat back at his computer screen. He had two patient files side by side. The man couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"How is this even possible?" he asked. Shingen looked up when he heard the door open. Shinra stood in the doorway.

"Oh, it's you," his father said.

"Did you need something?" Shinra asked. The older doctor took a moment to think.

"Yeah," he said. "Come look at this." Curious, Shinra walked over to the computer desk and looked at the screen.

"What am I looking at?" he asked.

"Tell me what you see," his dad said. Shinra read through each file.

"Patient files?" he asked.

"Yes, but what's in them?" Shingen asked. His son took another look. He scrolled through both files. He raised his eyebrow.

"Wait… are these tadpole patient files?" he asked.

"Sort of," his father said. "One of them is."

"Which one?" Shinra asked. His father walked over to his side. He pointed to the file on the right.

"This is an angel," the older doctor said. His son gave him a strange look.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Shingen pointed left and right to the files.

"Tadpole, angel," he said. Shinra narrowed his eyes.

"I don't get it," he said. "They look the same."

"Exactly," his father said. "But look." He scrolled down on the files. Shinra watched and read each line on both. His widened in shock.

"What the… What… What is this?" he asked. "How is this even possible?" Shingen turned to his son.

"It's time to call back the tadpoles," he said. As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Shinra said. He walked over to the front door.

"Who is it?" the doctor asked, looking out the peek hole. Mikado, Nagisa, and Masaomi stood outside. Shinra opened the door.

"Mikado, Masaomi, hello," he said. "It's good to see you." The doctor looked at Chiharu under Mikado's arm and Nagisa.

"What happened to her?" he asked. "And who is this?"

"Nice to meet you again," Nagisa said. "My name is Nagisa."

"Never mind that," Mikado said. "We need help with her." He held up Chiharu the best that he could. It was at the moment, Shingen poked his head out.

"Ah, Ryugamine," he said. "Just the person I needed to see." Mikado stood with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

* * *

-Panic-

"No, no, no!" Michiko wailed. She grabbed her hair and began pacing around the room.

"Calm down," Tiresias said as she sat on the bed. "They haven't been able to open it yet." Michiko whipped around to her.

"That's not the point!" she wailed. "How did they even find the gate?" The girl bit on her nails. "This is not good. Not good. Not good!" Michiko sank down to the floor and started whimpering.

"Oh no!" she said, burying her head in hands. The girl felt a hand on her back. Michiko paused.

"We still have time," Tiresias whispered. "They haven't figured out how to fully open it yet."

"They haven't?" Michiko asked.

"No," the blind woman said. "I have six of the Heaven Gates pinned. I just need to find the last one."

"But will we find it in time?" Michiko asked.

"Hm?" Tiresias asked. The girl looked up at her. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"We're running out of time!" she said. "Once that last gate is open, it's over. We'll have to turn to measures that I don't wish to cross."

"And you won't have to," Tiresias insisted.

"I can't do this alone," Michiko said.

"You aren't," the older woman said. "You have enough help to stop this madness." She could tell that her own words were starting to lose their strength behind them. But Michiko was right. They were running out of time.

* * *

-Nightcomers-

"Excellent," Hecate said over the phone. "We'll be there in ten days tops. Goodbye." The nightcomer hung up her phone. Lucy stood in the doorway, waiting.

"Well?" she asked.

"They found the gate," Hecate said. "That little brat had it well-hidden with some powerful magic."

"Bitch," Lucy said. Hecate held up her hand.

"However, there is a little bit of a caveat," she said. Her younger sister raised her eyebrow.

"Caveat?" she asked. Hecate twirled about with a smirk on her face.

"Everyone dances with the grim reaper," she said.


	16. Shizuo

Halo Fifteen: Shizuo:

-Vorona-

Vorona pulled up on her motorcycle. This was becoming route. Every Saturday, she would come down to Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. It made her heart ache. But Vorona couldn't abandon him. Tom felt the same way but he couldn't bear to see his dear friend like… that. It was like pulling teeth to get him to tell her where they took Shizuo. Tom sighed.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"I have to see him," she said in a low voice. Her tone told him that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Tom rubbed his forehead.

"Fine," he said. "He's being kept in the basement of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals." Vorona stared at him.

"Why did they put him there?" she asked.

"It's too dangerous for him to be on the loose like that," Tom reasoned. "I hate it too. But given how he is, I can't help but to agree. What if he accidentally kills somebody? He might not understand what he did but the police won't. They could lock him away or kill him. Is that what you want?" Vorona found herself unable to argue. Shizuo had been through enough. But she couldn't help but wonder…

A couple walk by Vorona, but her don't make eye contact. She stood at the gates of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals. The Russian assassin could feel something really bad just by standing here. Everything was so silent around the building. Was this place ever this dark? Vorona walked up to the call box on the gate and pressed the button.

"Hello?" the operator asked.

"It's me," Vorona said. "I came to see him." The gates opened and she walked through. She couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching her. How can they keep him in this place? Vorona kept her head down as she walked up to the doors. The guards searched the assassin before they let her in. Already, Vorona felt cold when she walked inside. They claim that it is not the air conditioning kept at this low level. She couldn't help but wonder otherwise. The Russian assassin shook the thought from her head and walked down the hall.

"Good morning," the receptionist said with chattering teeth. Vorona waved her off as she walked by. The lobby was so cold that she could see her breath. The strangest thing was that the basement was never this cold.

Vorona made it into the elevator. The cold followed her inside as she rode down to the basement. The Russian assassin couldn't let him suffer like this anymore. He's in so much pain. Vorona had to end it. The elevator doors opened when it reached the basement. Vorona kept her knife well-hidden in her pants.

* * *

-Tadpoles-

Shinra frowned at all of the tadpoles in his living room. Why did this living room keep getting small every time they met up here?

"Why are we all here?" Sota asked. Shingen held up two files.

"You are going to want to know this," he said. "Behold." The older got up and walked over to Shinra's computer.

"Have it hooked up to the TV?" he asked.

"Yes, yes," Shinra said.

"Thank you," his father said. The older doctor brought up the files on the monitor. Shinra turned on the TV. Only the top half of the files appeared.

"Here, we have two patient files from Chou Mori Institution," he said. "Can you tell which one is the tadpole?" The tadpoles took a look on the screen.

"Is it the one on the left?" Megumi asked as she pointed to the screen.

"Are you sure?" Shingen asked. The tadpole took a moment to think.

"What is the point of this?" Yamato asked.

"Humor me here," the older doctor said. Megumi finally nodded.

"The one on the left is a tadpole," she said.

"And you are sure?" the older doctor asked. Megumi folded her arms across her heavy chest.

"Yes!" she said. Tetsu shook his head.

"I think it's the one on the right," he said. Megumi raised her eyebrow at him.

"Oh-ho!" Shingen said. "We've got a contender. Let's take a poll right now. Raise your hands for a vote." Half voted for the file on the left and the other half voted for the file on the right. Shinra had to tally up the votes.

"Is there a point to this?" Yamato asked again. Shingen wagged his finger.

"We're getting to that," he said. The older doctor turned back to his computer. "Let's see who's right and who's wrong." He clicked on the screen. The files began to load. All of the tadpoles in the room had confused looks on their faces.

"Uh… what exactly are we looking at?" Saori asked. Shingen chuckled to himself.

"That, my dear," he said. "Are a tadpole and angel." The tadpoles turned their heads.

"What are you talking about?" Sota asked. Shingen snickered. He moved the mouse to the file on the left.

"This is a tadpole," the older doctor said. He moved the cursor to the right. "And this is an angel." Silence filled the room as he paused for an effect.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tomoya asked.

"Shinra!" he said. His son frowned. His sentiments were written all over his face. Shingen looked over his shoulder.

"Go get her," he said.

"Are you being serious now?" Shinra's facial expression asked.

"Go on," Shingen said. "Go get her." The younger doctor rolled his eyes and walked down the hall. Masaomi and Mikado looked shocked when he returned. Shinra pulled Chiharu along with on a chained leash. The other tadpoles had stunned looks on their faces.

"What did you do?" Mikado asked. Shingen walked up and placed his hand on Chiharu's head.

"This is an angel," he said. Chiharu made hissing noises as Shingen patted her head. Looks of disgust crossed some of the tadpoles' faces.

"What is wrong with her?" Yukio asked.

"She's basically you," Shingen answered. "Well, if times didn't turn out right according to the Tandeki Group." He walked over to Shinra's computer. The older doctor clicked on another file on the screen. Two models of DNA popped up on the screen. Both spun around in a slow spiral. Shingen moved the curser to the top of the model on the left.

"This is what your DNA looks like," he said. The older doctor moved down the cursor until he reached point eighteen.

"You are normal until you reach this point," he said. "From there, it mutates and you end up wit the abilities that you have." His audience didn't speak as he moved to the other DNA model. Shingen moved all the way down to marker seven.

"This is the mutation of an angel," he said. "For some reason, F here, or Chiharu, survived a Tadpole Project experiment but something in her genes mutates her like this." Chiharu hissed aloud and launched towards the older doctor. Shinra whipped out a stun gun and shocked her in the back of the neck. The angel collapsed to the ground. Mikado and Masaomi winced.

"Err… Is she going to be okay?" Tetsu asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Shingen said. "She'll be fine."

"How did Hashimoto-san end up like this?" Mikado asked. The older doctor shrugged.

"That we don't know," he said. "But we are still looking into it."

"Is there any way to fix her?" Mikado asked. Shingen shook his head.

"No," he said. "She's like you. You all will be stuck like this forever." Silence filled the room. Shinra rubbed his forehead.

"Can't you say it with a little more tact?" he muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry?" Shingen asked. His son just shook his head. All Mikado could focus on was Chiharu laying limp on the floor.

* * *

-Vorona and Shizuo-

Her footsteps echoed down the bright white hall. She came with one mission this morning. This couldn't go on for him. She was going to end this. Vorona walked until she saw Shizuo sitting on the floor, chained up against the wall. He looked so worn out. Vorona wondered why he hadn't tried to break the chains and rampage out of here. He had the strength to do it. But then he would have to try and operate the elevator. Shizuo didn't have the human mentality to do that anymore.

Vorona took a step forward. She wasn't sure if Shizuo could see her or not. Would he even understand what she had come to do?

"Hello, Shizuo," she said. The minotaur sat still. Vorona froze. Could he…? She shook her head. No, it couldn't be possible.

"I'm doing well," the Russian assassin said. "Tom and I miss you around work." Vorona took slow steps towards her senpai. She started to take out her knife. She had been over this in her head. The assassin promised herself to make this as painless as possible. At first, Vorona had no emotion on her face.

"I am so sorry, Shizuo," she said. "You shouldn't have been turned into this. I'm sorry you were turned into this." The minotaur didn't move. Vorona doubted he could understand what she was saying. She held her knife by her side.

"But that is okay," she said. "You don't have to suffer like this anymore. I am here to end it. This isn't living for you." The hall couldn't have been that long. But it felt like it to Vorona. Pretty soon, she was inches away from Shizuo. The assassin held up her knife. Make this quick and painless as possible. This should be easy.

But Vorona couldn't do it.

She had the knife above her head. Her target sat changed up in front of her. But why couldn't she do it? Vorona had been trained for this mission. She had killed ever since she was a little girl. This should've been simple.

So why couldn't she just do it?

Vorona's hand started to tremble. She couldn't let go of her knife. This had to be done. It was all to end Shizuo's misery. She needed to do this. Vorona looked Shizuo in those dead bull head eyes. Something stirred in her heart. The Russian assassin lowered her knife with tears in her eyes.

"I… I can't do it," she said in a whisper. Vorona sank to her knees before Shizuo and pulled him into her arms. She wept against his chest. She couldn't understand why. Though Vorona couldn't see it, but Shizuo had tears in his eyes as well. Perhaps maybe…

* * *

-Izaya-

This couldn't be right.

"What are you talking about?" he asked on the phone. "I didn't pay 750,000¥ for sex toys and tacky furniture! Take this off my card!" The information broker tried to keep it together. Someone kept spending money off of his cards. This was the sixth time this week. No one could trace the spenders. At first, he suspected Kururi.

"No, I have not been spending your money," she told him. Izaya narrowed his eyes.

"Look me in the eye and say that you haven't," he said. His sister frowned.

"I haven't," she said. They didn't speak at first. Izaya sighed.

"Alright," he said. Kururi tilted her head.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Her brother sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"It's nothing," he lied. "Just someone is trying to take my money."

"Why would they do that?" his sister asked.

"Just to annoy me," Izaya said. The information broker turned and walked back to his room. Kururi just stared at him before she got up and followed after him. She tried to embrace him behind but he pushed her off.

"Don't," Izaya muttered. "Not in the mood." He walked into his room and closed the door behind him. Kururi was left standing in the hall in a huff.

* * *

-Makoto and Noriko-

They couldn't understand what was happening. Ever since Noriko got that diary, she started to have strange memories running around in her head. More than ever than over the last year. She could remember the smell of soft baby powder and lavenders when she held a little baby boy in her arms. "Don't Dream it's Over" playing in the living room of an old house. Riding around an old fancy car on the country roads. Lying in the strong arms of a man she loved. All of those memories filled her heart with a warm glow.

But then, there were the painful memories. The cold, lifeless body of her son in her arms as she sat, rocking on the kitchen floor. Tears streaming endless down her cheeks. The pale, empty walls of Chou Mori. Dying over and over. Those memories wanted to make her curl up into the fetal position and wipe. So far, Noriko had been convincing herself that those were false memories. But now, she wasn't so sure anymore.

A chance encounter with someone from a past life would confirm her greatest fears. It all started when she was going to the store to buy dinner. She felt like she had been abandoned. Her friends all seemed like they have been busy. Chiharu wasn't picking up her phone. The boys were too busy doing what they were doing. Same thing went for Anri. Noriko didn't seem to know what to do.

That was until she happened to look and notice a man in his thirties walking by with a woman with short white blonde hair. The woman talked the man's ear off as she helped him walk along. Something about him drew Noriko closer.

_I know that guy…_

Noriko turned around and walked towards the couple on the other side of the street. Meanwhile, the man stopped in his tracks and turned his head.


	17. Noriko

Halo Sixteen: Noriko:

Kitano hit record on his tape player.

"I one had a mental patient that set me on this path," he said. "Her husband called her Hya-chan. Short for Hyacinth Girl. I can't use her real name for this report. So, I will call her Hya-chan." He shook his head.

"Anyway, she was a strange woman. I have told you the stories from before. Baby died and she had a nervous breakdown. Husband took her to Chou Mori. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Thinking about her hits a sore spot with me. I couldn't understand why so clung to her faith so tightly. Even after her son died and she lost her mind. She still clung to her god. I tried to kill her god but failed." Kitano rubbed his forehead.

"Still, I can't deny that she plays a huge role in this game. Even now."

* * *

-Noriko-

It started with that little red diary. The little notebook was just shoved into the mail slot. Noriko looked up when it hit the floor. She walked over to the door and spotted the diary on the floor. A wave of déjà vu washed over her face.

"Huh?" she asked. The girl picked up the diary and looked at front and back. There was no text on the cover.

"Wha tis this?" Noriko asked. Suddenly, her phone rang. The girl walked over to her phone charging on the side table.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hya-chan," an old man's voice said. Noriko froze for a second.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"You don't remember me at all," he said. "That's okay. We will get to know each other all over again. I am just calling to see if you are alive and well."

"What are you talking about?" Noriko asked. "Who are you? Why did you call me Hya-chan?"

"We will talk again soon," the man said. He hung up before she had a chance to speak. Noriko stared at her phone. That voice sounded so familiar. Why did they call her 'Hya-chan'? Her mind started to go back to another strange memory.

The walls looked so dull and white. She looked so out of it. Not even smell of bleach couldn't reach her. She didn't even know what day it was. Was it fall or winter? It didn't matter to her. The door opened behind her.

"Good morning _-san," a woman said. She didn't reply. Rubber soles walked across the hard floor.

"How are you today?" the nurse asked. No answer.

"Time for your medicine," she said. No answer. The nurse walked in front of her. She dragged a large metal tray with her. The nurse picked up a small cup of pills.

Back in reality, Noriko huddled on the floor, shaking.

* * *

Kitano looked up at the ceiling. "It should be time for her to come back to the game. Same with Makoto." He smiled and shook his head to himself.

"Poor Michiko-san. She's trying to hard to stop this game. She's trying to pull Makoto back in. But doesn't want to play anymore. Oh, don't worry. I have a faster way of doing that." The therapist smiled to himself.

* * *

-Noriko-

Since that evening, her memories have getting worse. The diary and taunting phone calls didn't help either.

First, the diary.

Noriko couldn't stop reading that first night. Something about it wouldn't let her ignore the book. Just touching it felt to so familiar to her. This was a gift to her. She couldn't remember when or from who, though. But who sent this book to her? And why?

Noriko took the notebook back to her room. Once she settled onto her bed, she opened her notebook. Right off the bat, page one caught her attention. Noriko narrowed her eyes.

"Is this my handwriting?" she asked. She jumped off of the bed and grabbed her school notes. The girl opened her notebook and compared it to the diary. A dead ringer match. Noriko had to do a double take.

"So weird…" she said. She looked through her diary. The girl's eyes widened.

"1981?" Noriko asked. She wasn't born then. This didn't look fake either. The girl couldn't stop turning the pages. Noriko didn't remember writing any of this. If Chiharu was here with her now, she would tell her to just ignore it. But she could do that. Noriko had already fallen down a rabbit hole that she couldn't climb out of.

And that was just from looking at the pages.

Noriko didn't start reading until about the third day. Each word on the pages seemed to speak to her. She could feel this woman's joy, frustration, sorrow, confusion, and love. It almost felt like she had written these words herself. Most of the entries talked about her husband.

Mako-kun as she called him.

He seemed like a great guy too. A little bit troubled, but great.

The more Noriko read, the more she felt like she had written all of this herself. But that couldn't be possible, could it? The earliest entry went back to summer of 1981. She wasn't even alive back then. Could she have…?

Noriko shook her head. No, that was a dumb idea. Right?

* * *

Kitano sat back in his chair. "Of all three of them, Hya-chan never ceases to fascinate me. She's much stronger than she thinks she is. This puts me into a dilemma. Initially, I wanted Makoto to win. But now, Hya-chan is catching up to him in this game. Who is going to win—husband or wife?"

There came a knock on his door. Kitano hit stop on his recorder.

"Come in," he said. Aya poked her head inside the office.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked. Kitano slipped his tape recorder back into his coat pocket.

"Yeah, I just wanted to share some good news with you," he said.

"Oh? What would that be?" Aya asked.

"My old patient is rejoining the game," the therapist said. The other therapist had a shocked look on her face.

"Are you serious?" Aya asked.

"Yes," Kitano said. She gave him a strange look.

"Wait… does she have her memories back?" she asked.

"Not yet," he said. "She just got her diary back again."

"Oh, did you send it to her?" Aya asked. Kitano smiled and shook his head.

"Nah, not this time," he said. She gave him a strange look.

"No?" she asked. "If not you, then was it…?" Kitano shrugged.

"Who can say?" he asked. Aya had a secret smile to herself.

* * *

-Noriko-

Then there were the phone calls. In the middle of the night, Noriko's phone would ring.

"Hello?" she asked. There would be nothing on the other line. Each call would last for fifteen seconds before they would hang up. Noriko stared at her phone. What was going on? The calls didn't just come at night.

One morning, her cell phone rang as she was getting ready for summer classes.

"Hello?" Noriko asked.

"Hello, dear Hya-chan," a familiar Scottish accent said. Her stomach dropped.

"Chiba-sensei?" the girl asked. "What do you want?"

"How have you been?" Junko asked. "Have you found your husband yet?" A confused look came over Noriko's face.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "I am not married."

"You were but you don't remember, do you?" the nurse asked. Noriko started trembling.

"What are you talking about?" she asked again.

"Have you been reading your diary?" Junko asked. The girl froze.

"How do you know about my diary?" she asked. Noriko covered her mouth. Why did she say "my"? That diary didn't belong to her.

"Oh good, you got it then?" the nurse asked. The color drained from the girl's face.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Play the game and you shall see!" Junko said. She laughed as she hung up. Noriko's phone hit the floor.

* * *

Once Aya left his office, Kitano took out his tape recorder and hit record.

"Now, where was I?" he asked. "Oh yes, husband and wife. I get the feeling that Hya-chan and Makoto will reunite really soon. He's tried to keep her away from him and this misery. But that will fail again. Fate is kind of funny that way. The harder you fight against it; the more fate will push back." The therapist smiled and shook his head.

"My only question is: how will this turn play out?" he asked. "This is Kitano-sensei and I am signing off." He hit stop one more time for the day.

* * *

-Noriko-

It all started when she was going to the store to buy dinner.

She felt like she had been abandoned. Her friends all seemed like they have been busy. Chiharu wasn't picking up her phone. The boys were too busy doing what they were doing. Same thing went for Anri. Noriko didn't seem to know what to do.

That was until she happened to look and notice a man in his thirties walking by with a woman with short white blonde hair. The woman talked the man's ear off as she helped him walk along. Something about him drew Noriko closer.

_I know that guy…_

Noriko turned around and walked towards the couple on the other side of the street. Meanwhile, the man stopped in his tracks and turned his head.

"What's the matter, Makoto?" Evie asked.

"She's here," he mumbled.

"Huh?" the girlfriend asked. She turned and saw a girl about eighteen years running towards them. She made her way of to the couple.

"Mako-kun!" Noriko said. Makoto went pale as he froze. The girl reached forward and touched his cheek.

"Oh, Mako-kun," she said. "You look so pale. Have you been starving yourself for me again? This is no good. You have to eat. I can't have you getting sick on me and the baby." Evie looked between them.

"What the hell is this?" she asked. "What the hell are you talking about?! He doesn't know who you are. Why are you bothering us?" Noriko froze before drawing back her hand.

"I… I don't know!" she blurted out. The poor girl took off running as fast as she could. Evie tilted her head with a confused look on her face.

"Who the hell was that?" she asked. Makoto stood trembling as that old fear formed in his head, digging up old memories that he wished that he could forget. It wasn't going to stop. In fact, it was only going to get worse.

* * *

Noriko disappeared down an alley. She held her hand to her chest. Why did she say all of that? It just came out on an impulse. Seeing that man's face triggered something inside of her. Somehow, she had to tell him that before. The clashing of memories made her shiver. Noriko sank to her knees as she felt it all closing in around her. The foreign memories, that diary, all of those phone calls, her nightmares, and her blackouts.

_Why does this keep happening to me?_

"You're starting to get your memories back, aren't you?" someone asked. Noriko froze and slowly lifted her head. Inches away Michiko stood eyeing her. The girl blinked and rose to her feet.

"Michiko… -san?" she asked.

"Yes," Michiko said. Noriko dropped her hand by her side.

"I think I am married to that man," she said. Michiko had a serious look on her face now.

"There is so much that we have to talk about," she said in a low voice.


	18. Koizumi

Halo Seventeen: Koizumi:

Yamato and his crew had been hard at work. Three more targets were added to their hit list. Shinra surrendered the list of former Chou Mori employees.

"You're not thinking about doing anything extreme, are you?" the doctor asked. He already knew the answer to that. Yamato smiled and raised his eyebrow.

"Define extreme," he said.

"Murder," Shinra said. The tadpole smiled and shrugged.

"Just the ones that really deserve it," he said. He turned and walked away. Meanwhile, Shinra was planning on having the boy his crew tailed. Yamato smiled to himself.

_You can watch all you want, but you won't stop us._

Back the new hideout, Yamato gathered up his crew and they started looking at the personnel files. He opened the cover and ran his finger down the list.

"Where are we starting?" Erina asked.

"The doctors," Yamato said. "The orderlies will be the bait." Reo looked on the page when one name caught her eye.

"I would like to suggest the first kill," she said. The rest of the group looked up at her. Yamato titled his head.

"Who is your grievance with?" he asked. Reo stood up straight.

"Koizumi-sensei!" she blurted out. That name was enough to make them freeze. Unpleasant memories floated around in their heads. Hifumi's right eye started to twitch.

"Is that the creep that tried to finger the girls?" she asked.

"Yes!" Erina, Sur, and Reo all said. The girls looked like they were ready to vomit. Yamato put up his hands in a shrug.

"Do you want to do this yourselves or do you need us to come out there with you?" he asked. The girls huddled in a circle for a hot minute. They didn't really need to that, though.

"We'll take him," Reo said.

"Fine," Yamato said. "I will text you his address."

"Thank you," Hifumi said. Yamato turned back to the personnel file book. The aim wasn't to kill of the former staff. Just the ones that took part in the Tadpole Project.

This would all be part of the goal towards killing the head of the serpent.

* * *

-Koizumi-

They tracked him down in north side of Ikebukuro. Koizumi-sensei hadn't changed at all. The girls trailed him to a gentleman's club. Reo sneered at the bright flashing lights above. She could still feel his touch on her skin.

-2010-

Reo sat naked in the baths. The ice-cold watch made her skin burn. She held her knees to her chest. This was one of the rare times she still had her sound mind intact. She didn't know how long that would last.

Suddenly, she heard the door open.

No… Please don't let it be him. Please don't let it be him. Reo sank down into the tub and held her breath to stay quiet.

"Hello?" a sing-songy voice filled the air. Reo's heart pounded against her chest. _Go away. Please leave me alone. Please leave me alone._

Footsteps walked down the row of tubs.

"Come out and play!" the voice cooed. "Come out! Come out!" The chuckling made it worse. Reo thought she would suffocate. But if she came up, he would see her. Then again, drowning wouldn't be so bad compared to the experiments being performed on his body. She started to pray that he would leave. The stinging cold was nothing compared to his "treatment" for her.

_Make him go away. Make him go away._

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her back. Reo froze. _No…_ Against her better judgement, she lifted her head. There it was. That creepy grin peering down at her.

"Found you!" that creepy pervert cheered. Reo's eyes widened.

-2015-

Reo's eyes began to see fire.

"That bastard has to die," she hissed. Erina put her hand on her shoulder.

"We all want him dead," she whispered. "But we can't charge in." Reo whipped her head around.

"But…" she said in a trembling voice.

"We will let you make the killing blow," the older tadpole said. Reo tried to relax.

"You promise?" she asked.

"Yes," Erina said. The younger tadpole relaxed.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Hifumi asked. Erina turned to Reo.

"That will be up to her," she said. The younger tadpole about jumped.

"Me?" she asked.

"Yes," Erina said. "He will your kill." Reo smiled and closed her fist to her chest.

"Yeah!" she said. The young tadpole turned to Hifumi.

"You're going in," she said.

"Do I need to do anything?" she asked. Reo started to smirk.

"Can you make your chains have spikes on them?" she asked. Hifumi grinned.

"How big do you want them?" she asked. Reo pushed the answer into her head. The chain tadpole nodded once.

"Got it," she said. Hifumi turned and walked into the club.

* * *

Having charm played to her advantage. Hifumi didn't have to do much to draw eyes her way. She took down my ponytail and made her way to the front door. With her top button unbuttoned, Hifumi was ready. She walked into the club with a sway in her step. All eyes fell on her. The tadpole tuned them out with the pounding music and spinning lights.

"Hey babe, you looking for a good time?" a man about twenty years old asked. He drunkenly tried to put his arms around her waist. Hifumi gently pushed him off.

"Maybe later," she said. The man pouted at her.

"I'm so sorry," Hifumi said, pressing her hands together, bowing her head. She walked away to the bar. The bartender gulped as he struggled to keep his eyes on her face.

"What can I get for you tonight?" he asked. Hifumi smiled like a little angel.

"Do you have any cherry drinks?" she asked. The older man smiled as his cheeks turned red.

"I will see what I can do," he said.

"Thank you," Hifumi said, bowing her head. The bartender got right to work. Meanwhile, the tadpole looked around.

"Come on, you bastard," she said under her breath. "Come out and show yourself." The bartender came back with her drink.

"Thank you," she said. Hifumi took a drink. She winced at the bitter taste. Alcohol would be unless to her. She might as well have just ordered water.

Suddenly, she noticed that she wasn't alone. Hifumi looked out of the corner of her eye. A man in his fifties sat beside her. She noticed his dark eyes through his grey-framed glasses. The smell of heavy cologne made Hifumi wanted to throw up.

"Can I help you?" she asked. That creepy smile was all that it took for her to know that she had found their target.

"Hello," the man said. Hifumi forced herself to keep calm.

"Hi," she said.

"Are you alone tonight?" the man asked. Hifumi looked up and down. Koizumi-sensei looked the same as he did all of those years. He could be just as creepy too.

"Why yes," Hifumi said. The creepy doctor put his arm around her shoulder.

"Why is a pretty little thing like you here in a boring place like this?" he asked.

"I am just looking for a good time," Hifumi lied. The target didn't seem to want to let her go. He gave her a pouting fish-like face.

"Aw," he said. "That's not good enough. This place is lame if you ask me. I could show you a really good time." His breath smelt awful. It took Hifumi's all not to throw up. This had to be part of the plan. She turned with a smile on her face as she put her arms around his neck.

"Why not?" the tadpole asked. "I have just the place." The creepy doctor smiled at her.

"Oh!" he said. "Feisty one, aren't you?" His tooth looked so crooked. Hifumi focused on the rest of his face.

"Follow me," she said. The tadpole girl giggled. She took the target by the hand and led him out of the club.

* * *

The pair ended up in an alley between the club and an abandoned store. Koizumi-sensei looked around.

"Why are we out here?" he asked. Hifumi froze and lowered her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" the older man asked.

"Do you remember who I am?" she asked.

"Huh?" Koizumi-sensei asked. Hifumi turned her head with a cold look in her eyes. The lecherous old doctor looked at her with eyes.

"Hey… aren't you…?" he began to ask.

Whoosh!

Hifumi wrapped her chains tightly around his body. His arms were held above his head. Chains with spikes wrapped around both of his index, middle, and ring fingers. The doctor looked around frantically.

"What the fuck is this?!" he shouted. Hifumi glared at him.

"Shut up!" she barked. The spikes cut into his fingers. Koizumi-sensei gritted his teeth.

"You bitch!" he snapped. Chains started to wrap around his neck.

"Shut up or I will choke you out!" Hifumi shouted. It was then the doctor realized that they weren't alone. The tadpole felt that shiver down her spine and smirked. Erina, Reo, and Sur all joined Hifumi on the ground. Reo held a kitchen knife in her hand.

"What the hell is this?!" Koizumi-sensei croaked. The chains pulled in tighter. He started to gag in pain.

"Easy there," Reo said. "He's no good to us dead yet." The blade of her knife cried for blood. The doctor started to panic.

"W-W-What are you planning to do with me?!" he asked. Hifumi gritted her teeth. Small chains began to wrap around their victim's tongue.

"That ought to shut you up," the tadpole hissed. She turned to Reo.

"Can I do it now?" she asked. "Please, can I do it now?" The younger tadpole held up her hand.

"Wait," she said. Reo walked up to the chained-up doctor.

"Where are the others?" she asked. The victim struggled to speak.

"Sorry?" Reo asked. Hifumi loosened the chains around his tongue.

"Screw you!" Koizumi-sensei shouted.

"Hifumi!" the girl said.

"Right," the older tadpole said. She squeezed her left hand into a tight fist.

Snap!

Koizumi-sensei screamed as his left ring finger snapped off by Hifumi's chains. The served digital fell to the ground. Hifumi laughed.

"Wow!" she said. "That felt so much better than what I thought it would be!" The doctor squirmed around in his chains.

"Easy there, buddy!" Erina shouted up to him. "We don't want you to hurt yourself, too much." Their abuser saw red as he looked down at his captors.

"Where are the rest of those bastards that tortured us?" Reo asked. "It would be in your best interest to answer the question." The doctor cliched his teeth.

"Screw… you!" he shouted. Snap! His left middle finger hit the ground. It was Reo could do to keep from laughing loudly. How many girls had he assaulted with those fingers of his? After tonight, he wouldn't be able to do it again.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," Reo said. "Where are the others that abused us? Tell us now!" The doctor growled as he glared at his former victims.

"Why?!" he snapped. Reo causally twirled her knife in her hand.

"Oh," she said. "We just want to pay them a little visit. Now, last chance. Where are the other staff members that abused us?"

"I… I don't know!" Koizumi-sensei said. Reo felt a light buzz at the base of her nape. Fire started up in her eyes.

"Hifumi!" she said.

"Right," the older tadpole said.

Snap!

The left index finger hit the ground. The doctor howled in pain. Reo stared at him with daggers in her eyes.

"Where are the others that abused us?" she asked. "And you better not lie to us. I will know if you do!" The doctor gulped in his chains. Erina rolled her eyes.

"Can I just touch him?" she asked. "It will go faster."

"Huh?" Koizumi asked. Reo sighed.

"Sure, go ahead," she said.

"Thank you," Erina said with a bow. She walked over to the chained-up man. The tadpoles could hear his heart pounding against his chest. Sweat broke out on his brow. His pulse started going faster. The man shut his eyes.

"Okay!" he shouted. "I'll tell you anything!" Erina's finger was inches away from his leg.

"You better not lie," Reo warned him. The doctor gulped.

"Okay, yes, I have been in contact with two doctors," he said. Reo's eyes stayed on him.

"Go on…" she said. The doctor shook in his chains. His eyes kept shifting back and forth. He realized that he didn't have a choice in this matter. They would probably kill him anyway.

"I'm still in contact with Oshiro-sensei and a few others," he said.

"Who?" Reo asked.

"I don't remember!" Koizumi-sensei shouted. "A couple of orderlies! I don't remember who they are! I'm not lying, I swear! Please don't me!" The lie detector tadpole didn't feel a thing.

"Hifumi," she said.

"Right," the chain tadpole said. Snap. Snap. Snap. His index, middle, and ring fingers on his right hand fell to the ground. Koizumi-sensei howled in pain.

"W-W-Why did you do this to me?!" he wailed. Reo walked up to him with her knife at her side. Her prey started shaking his head frantically. Her lips came within inches of his ear.

"Goodbye, you disgusting creep," she whispered.

Stab!

Reo's knife went into the perverted doctor's chest eight more times. Koizumi-sensei's body hung there in Hifumi's chains. The lie detector tadpole stood there with her eyes wide as said chains drew back into their owner's hands. The body hit the ground with a thud. Erina walked over and rubbed the younger tadpole on the back.

"You did great," she whispered. "It may shock you at first, but you will get used to it. Think of it this way: we won't get peace of mind until they are all dead." Reo didn't respond.

"What do we do with the body?" Sur asked.

"Leave it," Hifumi said. Erina and Sur looked up at her. Hifumi shrugged.

"I figured that it would leave a message to the others," she said. "This is what happens when you torture us for your sick experiments. This will be your punishment." Erina thought about it for moment.

"I like that," she said.

"Fuck yeah!" Sur said, pumping her fist in the air. Reo turned her head. A wide smile spread across her face.

"Yes!" she shouted. That was now three former members of Chou Mori involved with the Tadpole Project dead.


	19. Ryosuke

Halo Eighteen: Ryosuke:

Masaomi and Mikado followed Nagisa to her master. She blended into the crowd with ease. At first glance, you couldn't even tell she was a crane familiar. Mikado tried to figure out where he had seen her before.

"You have seen me before," Nagisa said, glancing over her shoulder.

"When?" Mikado asked. She stopped and turned around.

"You can't remember everything, do you?" Nagisa asked. The tadpole boy shook his head.

"You?" she asked Masaomi. The Yellow Scarves shogun shook his head.

"Hm…" Nagisa said, thinking. "That's strange. You should have most of your memories back by now."

"What do you mean?" Masaomi asked. The crane familiar waved him off.

"Never mind," she said. "It'll come back to you soon. We've got other things to worry about right." Nagisa picked up her pace and hurried down the crowded street. The boys looked at each other before catching up to follow.

* * *

They made it to an apartment complex near Sunshine Aquarium. Nagisa walked up to number 35 and knocked.

"We've been here before," Mikado whispered. Masaomi turned to him.

"Hm?" he asked. The boys looked up to see the door open. A man about eighteen years old stood in the doorway. He looked like he had just woken up. His black t-shirt and striped shorts were wrinkled. The man rubbed the back of his head.

"Huh?" he asked. "Who are all of you?" Nagisa smiled and embraced Ryosuke.

"I'm home," she said. This was enough to wake up the man. He pulled Nagisa into his arms.

"Welcome home," the man said.

"I did as you asked," she whispered. "I brought them here."

"Hm?" her owner asked, looking up at Masaomi and Mikado.

"Uh… hi…" Mikado said.

"Yo," Masaomi said. It took the man a moment to realize who was at his door. He covered his mouth.

"Oh crap!" he said. "I am so sorry! I should've known that you were coming today!" The man quickly bowed.

"No, it's okay," Masaomi said. "Really." The man stood up straight.

"Oh, I'm Takizawa Ryosuke," he said. "I'm so glad you're here. Please, come inside." Ryosuke pulled Nagisa inside with him. Mikado and Masaomi looked at each other before following them inside.

* * *

The apartment looked standard. Everything was cleaned up. Ryosuke walked over to the couch and sat down. Nagisa joined him. The boys sat across from them on the love seat.

"There is so much to talk about," Ryosuke said. "Go ahead and ask questions."

"When have I talked to you?" Mikado asked.

"It was back in the previous cycle," Nagisa said.

"How many cycles have been there?" he asked.

"We're still counting," she said. Masaomi remembered something that Michiko once said.

"What was this about a gate?" Mikado asked.

"Ah yes," Ryosuke said. "How much time do you two have?"

"We have plenty of time," Mikado said. Masaomi nodded. The older man grabbed Nagisa and clutched her by his side.

"Okay, what all do you remember first?" Ryosuke asked. The tadpole pressed his lips together before he began to speak.

* * *

-Haru and Honoka-

Haru walked back to the apartment that he had been staying in for the past couple of months. Eight patients of Kitano died at his hand. In between his mission for revenge, he still had to take care of his sister.

"I'm home," he said as he opened the door. Honoka looked up from the couch. They had gotten used to sensing each other when Haru came home.

"Welcome home, nii-san!" she said. Haru set down the bad and closed the door behind him.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Good!" Honoka said. She held up her hands covered in white laced gloves. Haru bought her those beautiful gloves. He picked them up when he saw them in a shop window.

"I can't have you using your powers on accident," he told her. Honoka was just happy to get a present from her brother.

"Thank you!" she cheered. Honoka wildly hugged her brother. Even though he couldn't kill her with his touch, Haru was hesitant to hug her back.

"Are you hungry yet?" he asked.

"No, not really," she said.

"Did you eat already?" Haru asked as he took off his shoes.

"Uh-huh," she said. Her brother walked over to the kitchen and set down the bags. But then he froze.

"Honoka?" he asked. The tadpole wandered back into the living room. Honoka stared up at him.

"Did you feel that?" Haru asked.

"Yes," she said. Her brother walked over to the front door. He pushed back the curtain and looked outside. Two men about nineteen stood outside staring at him from across the street. His stomach dropped.

"Oh…" Haru mumbled.

"Who is it, Nii-san?" Honoka asked. Her brother turned to her.

"Stay inside, okay?" Haru said. The older twin put his shoes on and dashed out the front door.

"Nii-san?" Honoka asked. The door slammed shut.

* * *

-Oshiro-

"Great job, girls," Yamato said three days earlier.

"Thank you," Reo said in a small voice. Yamato crossed Koizumi-sensei's name off the list. He and the others in the group took a look at the staff list. The "innocent" ones were crossed out in another color.

"Who's going to be next?" Yamato asked. He ran his finger down the list. Tomoya happened to look on the next page and spot another familiar name.

"There," he said. Tomoya pointed to the name on the list. Everyone took a look. Right away, the memories came back. Yamato looked at his group.

"This will only take two of us," he said. "Who wants to do it?"

"I will," Tomoya said.

"Alright," the leader said. "Who else wants to come with him?" There was a pause at first. Shuichi took a step forward.

"I'll do it," he said.

"Very well," Yamato said. "Don't let us down."

"Yes," Shuichi and Tomoya said.

* * *

"We do not have much time left, do we?" Mikado asked.

"No," Ryosuke said. Masaomi could already predict what was going to be said word for word between them.

"How many days do we have left until the final gate is opened?" Mikado asked.

"Ten days," Ryosuke said. Masaomi couldn't hold back with the one thing he that surfaced in his mind.

"It's the school, isn't it?" he asked. All eyes fell on him.

"How did you know?" Nagisa asked. Masaomi lowered his eyes.

"You told us before," he said. There was a pause. Ryosuke shook his head.

"I didn't tell you that," he said.

"Huh?" the Yellow Scarves shogun said. "Then… who was it?" The older man fidgeted as his eyes shifted away from his guests. He mumbled something under his breath. But Mikado caught it with his sharp hearing.

"Your grandma?" he asked. All of the color drained from the older man's face. Nagisa had to shush him and rub his back.

* * *

Michiko walked up to Makoto and Evie's apartment and knocked on the door. Ten more days were all that was left. The girl held her breath as she pounded on the door. _Come on. Come on!_

Michiko backed up when the door opened.


	20. Kitano

Halo Nineteen: Kitano:

"If you had the chance to punish who hurt your daughter, would you take it?" Kitano asked. He sat across from a woman in her forties. She kept her eyes down in her lap. This question always came up during their sessions.

"W-W-Why?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"We're just having a conversation," he said. She glanced up at him quickly before looking down. It never felt like it to her.

"I don't know what you want me to say," the woman said.

"Just be honest," Kitano said. His client shiver as she bit on her thumb.

"Yes," she mumbled.

"Have you thought about what all her classmates did to her online?"

"Yes." The woman's tiny hands started to tremble. "All of those hurtful things they said online. They made it worse at school." She fought back the urge to scream.

"Why didn't I listen to her that day?!" the woman wailed. "If I hadn't pushed her to go to school that day… If I had just stayed with her… If I had just…"

"It is not your fault. We've been over this."

"Yes. Not all suicidal people give off the same warning signs."

"I know." The woman fidgeted with her hands before slamming down in her lap again. "It's just… I feel so powerless. Some of them were laughing and joking at her funeral. They just pretended they were sad. It just made me so mad!" She took in a deep breath as the anger started to boil.

"I understand."

"I wanted to hurt them so badly then and there."

"And how about now?"

The woman dropped her hands on her lap. Her eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what to do!"

Kitano handed her a tissue. "Here. Go ahead and cry. Let it all out. Cry if you have to." His patient broke down sobbing. Kitano took notes the whole time. This one would perfect but she just needed a little more work. She had the sorrow and rage but it wasn't strong enough to how he wanted it.

* * *

-Tomoya and Shuichi-

The boys made their way towards Akihabara. Their target's last known address was located around there. Shuichi looked at Tomoya's back.

"What's the action plan?" he asked. The other tadpole didn't speak. Shuichi frowned. What was with this guy? He could never get this guy to talk. Tomoya always kept to himself in the base. Shuichi puffed up his cheeks.

"Come on, man," he complained. "Say something!"

"I want to use him for something," Tomoya said at last. Shuichi tilted his head.

"So you can talk," he said.

"Shut up," Tomoya said. The other tadpole put up his hands.

"Okay, okay," Shuichi said. "Geez, you don't have to be ugly about it. I just want to know what we're doing. How are we going to take out this guy?" Tomoya stopped in his tracks. Shuichi lifted his head.

"Tomoya?" he asked.

"We won't," he said. "Not yet anyway."

"Huh?" Shuichi asked. Suddenly, both men froze. That old chill ran up their spines.

"Another one?" Shuichi asked. "Where?" They looked around. Tomoya finally pointed across the street.

"There?" Shuichi asked. His companion nodded once. He and the other tadpole looked up at the apartment.

"There are two of them," Shuichi said. He looked at Tomoya. "Do they come to us or do we come to them?" Tomoya didn't answer. Both tadpoles kept looking up. Both sides stood waiting. Finally, the front door opened above them. A man in black came out and looked down. He didn't look happy to see the two younger men on the street.

"What do you want from me?!" he shouted. Shuichi and Tomoya looked at each other.

"We're on a quest for revenge," Shuichi said without thinking. "You want to help us?" Tomoya looked over at him.

_What are you doing?_

_He's one of us. We're going to need more of us to get our revenge._

_You sure he's willing to help?_

_Only one way to see._

The man above them frowned. "On them?"

"Yeah, we're heading towards one right now. Want to come?"

The man didn't answer at first. He kept looking over his shoulder behind him. Shuichi cocked his head.

"Your roommate can come with us," he said.

"She isn't coming," the man said. "I will be right down." The man disappeared back into the apartment. Shuichi turned to Tomoya.

"It's happening!" he said. They waited for about ten minutes. The man in black joined them. Shuichi broke into a huge smile.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Whatever," the man muttered. "Let's get this over with." The three men walked down their path to their revenge.

"What's your name, by the way?" Shuichi asked.

"Haru," their new companion muttered.

"I'm Shuichi and this is Tomoya," the younger tadpole said. Tomoya just waved without turning his head. No other words followed. Shuichi looked between the two silent men.

"Why do I get stuck with the tough crowd?" he asked himself.

* * *

-Izaya-

The information broker stared at him turned off computer screen. This week alone had been weird. It started with strange calls in the early hours in the morning. Around three in the morning, his phone would ring.

"Hello?" he would ask. There would a faint clicking noise on the other line before the phone went dead. Izaya looked at his phone. The number was blocked and would be disconnected when he tried to call back the number. This happened about five nights in a row.

It didn't stop there.

The texts came in massive numbers. Sometimes up to sixty a day. Every single one looked corrupted with characters. Izaya would stare at the screen a confused look on his face.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

"I'm home," he heard Kururi from the doorway.

"Welcome back," Izaya said without looking up. His sister found him in the kitchen.

"Did _she_ text you again?" Kururi asked with disgust as she walked over to his table. A confused look came over her face as she looked over his shoulder at his phone.

"What the hell is all of that?" she asked. Izaya shrugged and shook his head. His fingers tapped the screen to delete each message.

"Have you been getting these texts?" he asked. Kururi pulled out her phone and looked at the screen.

"No," she said.

"Hm," Izaya said. He continued to delete texts from his phone. The information broker couldn't help but to get a bad feeling about this. Tandeki or not, this target on his back could be the worst.

* * *

-Oshiro-

-December 17th, 2012-

He stood in the back corner as another tadpole sat behind the two-way mirror. It hurt to watch them like this. These patients didn't deserve this. Most of them were just kids. Today, Yamato sat in the room with a strange mouth contraption. He glared at his captors. Two doctors strapped wires to his head.

He never handed the tadpoles. His job was to step in when things got worse. He knew this was wrong.

But he never did anything to stop it.

-Present Day-

Fifty-seven-year-Oshiro-sensei walked up to his apartment door. Lecturing at the local college had lost its appeal. He thought about retiring many a day. But still, something in him wouldn't let him do that. Right now, Oshiro-sensei didn't want to think about work. He just wanted to go home, eat dinner, take a bath, and go to bed. The doctor had just taken out his key.

The edge of a cold blade touched his flesh. Oshiro-sensei froze as looked behind him. Tomoya gave him a death glare.

"Hello, Oshiro-sensei," he said in a low growl. The doctor broke into a cold sweat.

"Tomoya?" he asked. The doctor turned to reach for his phone.

"Don't you dare," the tadpole hissed. "Unlock your door and go inside." The poor doctor's eyes darted around as he tried to think of how to get out of this.

"You will not get out of this," Tomoya said. "Unlock the door and go inside. Don't make me tell you again." The old man shivered at first before he unlocked his apartment door. Tomoya pushed his hostage inside. To the doctor's horror, Haru and Shuichi were already inside, waiting.

* * *

-Kitano-

Kitano had just finished up his paperwork for the evening when he heard pounding on his office door. He didn't even look up.

"Enter," Kitano said. The doorknob struggled for three minutes before the door opened. The therapist looked up as he heard a thud on the carpet.


	21. Tomoya

Halo Twenty: Tomoya:

-Twelve Hours Earlier-

Tomoya forced Oshiro-sensei down at the kitchen table with the other two tadpoles. He kept the knife at his back. The poor old doctor looked around.

"Shuichi? Haru-kun?" he asked.

"Stay still!" Tomoya barked. Oshiro-sensei was forced to sit up straight.

"W-W-What do you want from me?" he asked.

"Shut up!" his captor barked. "We're doing the talking. You just answer our questions." The desperate doctor looked around.

"Where are the others involved with the Tadpole Project?" Tomoya asked.

"I… I don't!" Oshiro-sensei shouted. His captor clicked his tongue.

"Don't bullshit me!" he snapped. He forced his right hand down on the man's shoulder. The old doctor's body went stiff as his eyes clouded over.

"I hate my job and I want to punch the dean in the face," he admitted. Oshiro-sensei looked shocked when he said that. Shuichi whistled, shaking his head.

"You the mild-mannered Oshiro-sensei wanting to get violent with a superior?" he asked. "Naughty, naughty." The old doctor looked up with big eyes.

"What are you doing to me?!" he shouted. "My ex-wife left me for driving instructor because he younger than me and better in bed."

"Surprised?" Tomoya asked. "Keep talking. We'll get the truth out of you." Oshiro-sensei's eyes widened as he tried to keep quiet.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked. "I am fond of women who dress like schoolgirls."

"You owe us!" Tomoya shouted. "You and the rest of them put us through hell."

"But I didn't do anything to you!" Oshiro-sensei said. "I always wanted to sleep with this one girl around my office."

"Yeah, so did some of the Nazis during the Holocaust!" Shuichi shouted. Tomoya started to tremble and break out into a sweat.

"You okay, man?" Shuichi asked.

"Yeah!" Tomoya shouted. "We have to keep going for this!" The tadpole turned to their captive.

"Are you willing to tell us the truth?" he asked. "We can do this all night. I can draw out all of your secrets." He paused to catch his breath.

"You wouldn't want that, would you?" Tomoya asked. The former doctor frantically shook his head.

"No, no!" Oshiro-sensei wailed. "I want to lick my ex-wife's feet again." Shuichi wrinkled his nose.

"Dude!" he said. Oshiro-sensei covered his face.

"Hiding away like you did when they experimented on us?" Haru asked. "Surprise, surprise."

"It wasn't like that!" the doctor wailed. "I hate my wife's son." Tomoya rolled his eyes.

"Cut the crap!" he barked. "Just give us what we want! Where are the others involved with the Tadpole Project? Tell us now!"

"I don't know where they are!" his captive shouted. "They won't tell me! I haven't been in contact with them. I like AKB48."

"Liar!" Tomoya shouted.

"I'm not lying!" Oshiro-sensei wailed. "I may have their numbers but haven't contact them in years! We haven't tried to anyway! I want this nightmare to end as much as you do! I still don't why I got chosen for that project. I wished that I had told somebody the truth then." Tomoya clicked his tongue and drew back his head.

"This is pointless!" he shouted. He turned to the other two tadpoles.

"Let's just kill him," he said. Oshiro-sensei whipped around covered in sweat.

"No! Please don't!" he begged.

"Why?" Tomoya asked. "You didn't anything to stop them. You just stood back and let it happen." But then, he lowered his knife.

"However, I have a better use for you," he said. Shuichi, Haru, and Oshiro-sensei gave him a confused look. Tomoya looked at his fellow tadpoles.

"I want to try something," he said. "Shuichi, take out one of your needles." The tadpole gave him a strange look.

"Why?" he asked.

"Just do it," Tomoya said. Shuichi shrugged.

"Alright," he said. He held up his left index finger. The tadpole pulled out one long, thin needle from the skin. Oshiro-sensei stared at him with big eyes.

"Now, Haru-san, take your glove off and touch the needle," Tomoya said. The older man looked at him in a strange way. But he slid off the glove and touched the tip of the needle. Instantly, the needle turned black. Seeing where this was heading, Shuichi tossed it over to the captive. With such precision, the needle buried itself in the back of the doctor's neck. Oshiro-sensei's whole body froze. He seemed to be shaking for a few minutes before he went still.

"What did you just do to me?!" he cried. Tomoya grabbed him by the shoulder in a vice-like grip.

"You are going to deliver a little message to Kitano-sensei," he hissed in his ear. "You are to tell him that we are coming for him. We will bring the war to him. You will go straight to him an deliver our message word for word. You have a day and five hours to do it." Oshiro-sensei started to shake.

"But I don't know where he is!" he shouted.

"Well, you better start looking," Tomoya said. "One day and five hours." He let go of the hostage.

"Oh and one more thing," he said. "Give me your phone."

* * *

-Kitano-

Another development took place in the Tadpole Project. Kitano was doing his rounds with the Heartseed plant when he noticed the changes.

"Hm?" he asked. The plant had turned a bright yellowish green. The therapist walked up for a closer look.

"That's never done that before," he said. Kitano reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his notebook. He scanned through his notes with a puzzled look on his face.

"I don't think I have seen that before," he said. Kitano pulled out his phone.

"Hello?" Etsuko asked on the other line.

"Yeah, I have a question," he said.

"Yes, what about?" she asked.

"Which one of our drugs produces a bright yellowish green color in the Heartseed?" Kitano asked as he tilted his head, staring at the plant. There was a pause on the other line.

"Do what now?" the doctor asked at last.

"Are you free to come down and look?" Kitano asked.

"Sure, just give me a second," Etsuko said.

Within ten minutes, the doctor and the therapist stood in front of the glowing Heartseed. Etsuko stroked her chin.

"Run through the drugs in your notes again," she said. Kitano took out his notebook.

"Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, Nio, Oyamatsumi, Rajin, Kojin, Kuebiko, Jurojin…" he read off. He paused and went up the list. The therapist went down from Nio to Jurojin. His finger settled on a spot and looked up at the plant.

"I think this is the Kojin," Kitano said at last.

"When did we do that?" Etsuko asked.

"Hang on," Kitano said. He looked down at his notes again. He narrowed his eyes. "It's saying about… August 1998." The doctor took a minute to think.

"I want to say that Kojin are small tablets that went under the tongue," she said.

"Think it's on the tapes?" Kitano asked.

"We will have to see," Etsuko said.

"What do you think that the Kojin does?" he asked.

"We will have to see in the morning," the doctor said.

"Agreed," Kitano said, nodding. He took down the latest notes.

* * *

-Tadpoles-

Mikado stared at his plate on the table. His friends were eating up their breakfast. Masaomi looked over at him.

"You're not hungry, man?" he asked. Mikado lifted his head.

"Hm?" he asked. "Oh, no not really." The tadpole got up and wrapped up his food. He walked over to the front door and put on his shoes.

"Where are you going?" Anri asked.

"Just out," Mikado said. He walked out the door without a word. The way he spoke sounded so nonchalant. Anri and Masaomi looked at each other as the door closed. He hadn't touched his food at all.

He didn't come back until noon. Mikado didn't answer his phone. Not like they could go out and look for him. The tadpole didn't even say where he was going.

"It's no use," Anri said. "He's not picking up."

"Hang on," Masaomi said. He pulled out his phone. He started to dial up another number.

"Hello?" a woman asked on the other line.

"Hey, Naomi-san," the Yellow Scarves shogun said. "Is Mikado with you?"

"No," she said. "Why? Did something?"

"Well…" Masaomi said. Suddenly, the door opened.

"He just came in. I've got to go," Masaomi said. He hung up before Naomi could say a word.

"I'm back," Mikado said. Masaomi and Anri were waiting for him in his apartment.

"Where did you go?" Anri asked. The tadpole boy just shrugged.

"Just out," Mikado said again. He walked over to his computer and booted it up. The tadpole didn't even stop by the fridge. Masaomi and Anri couldn't figure it out.

* * *

On the opposite end of the coin, Nami sat in a ramen place, finishing up another bowl. That was her eighteenth bowl. The kitchen staff watched her with uneasy looks on their faces.

"Could I have more?" Nami asked. The main cook blinked at first.

"I think you had enough," he said. The tadpole glared at him.

"I'm still hungry," she growled.

"Yes..." the cook said. "But you've had enough."

"I want more food!" Nami shouted. "Give me more!" The cook nervously laughed.

"Okay…" he mumbled. He turned and went back to the kitchen. Nami sat back in place. She couldn't understand what was happening now. But all that she knew was that she had to keep eating.

* * *

-Makoto and Michiko-

Once again, Michiko tracked down Makoto. She couldn't give up this time. The young girl puffed up her cheeks.

_Makoto-san! We have to talk now! She's starting to get her memories back!_

That was enough to alert him.

_You can't mean…_

_I'm afraid so._

_Where are you now?_

_I am standing outside of your apartment. I'll come up right now. Are you alone?_

_Yes._

_Good, I will be right there._

Makoto's stomach dropped as he could hear the footsteps coming up the stairs. He closed his blind eyes. He could already see where this was heading. Makoto had prayed in his heart of hearts that she would stay away. But that encounter yesterday told him that this game wouldn't allow it. She was going to be forced to play this stupid game again.

Thinking about that made his blood burn.

"I know how you feel," Michiko spoke up. Makoto's body froze. He heard footsteps coming closer.

"Do you see why we have to stop this madness?" she asked. "If you won't do it for them, do it for her. How do you think she's going to feel being pulled back into this hell once she gets her memories back? You never wanted this for her. She didn't want this for you either."

"I know that!" Makoto shouted. It took him by surprise to hear himself raising his voice for the first time in a while.

"So why won't you get up and fight?" Michiko asked. Makoto opened his blind eyes and trembled.

"I can't…" he mumbled.

"And why is that?!" Michiko shouted. "Do you want her to suffer through our misery again?"

"No!" Makoto shouted.

"Then why won't you fight?!" the girl shouted with her arms up in the air.

"I'm scared to lose her again!" he yelled back. He seemed to collapse onto the floor. Now that it was out, it was going to begin all over again. Michiko folded her arms across her chest.

"There is no excuse for that," she said in a cold. Why couldn't she just leave alone?

* * *

-Message-

Kitano had just finished up his paperwork for the evening when he heard pounding on his office door. He didn't even look up.

"Enter," Kitano said. The doorknob struggled for three minutes before the door opened. The therapist looked up as he heard a thud on the carpet. Oshiro-sensei lay face down on the floor.

"Oshiro?" Kitano asked in shock. He ran over to the fallen man. The therapist lifted up his head. His former colleague's breathing was labored as he looked so pale.

"Oshiro?" the therapist asked. "What are you doing here? What happened to you?" Oshiro-sensei managed to carry out his final task before succumbing to his death.

"They are… coming for… you," the dying doctor said in between swallow breaths. "They are bringing their war to… you…"

"What are you talking about?" Kitano asked. When he saw the blackened needle sticking out of the dead man's nape, he had his answer.


	22. Memories

Halo Twenty-One: Memories:

As the days leading up to the final gate opening, more memories started to come back. Mikado and his friends felt it the worst. They have felt it before but these waves came much stronger. Crushing, almost suffocating. It happened without warning. Mikado and his friends couldn't stop it. The best that they could do was to ride it out.

It happened ten days before the gate was opened.

* * *

-Masaomi-

I am starting to have visions again.

I had this one last night.

I found myself sitting in a police interrogation room. I thought moments before, I was at Mikado's apartment again. We might have been asleep when there was a knock on the door. I opened it and found a police officer standing outside. He wanted to see me and asked me to come with him down to station. We didn't know what was going on. I went with them quietly. Mikado was the one who suggested that I do so.

"What's going on?" Anri asked. I shook my head uncertain.

"Just go," Mikado whispered. I could tell by his tone that this already happened. Something told me that it would be in my best interest to comply.

I sat that police interrogation room for what felt like hours. At first, they left me alone. I couldn't figure out what was going on. Part of me hoped that it didn't have anything to do with Saki. I hadn't been able to reach her all day. I shut my eyes. Please don't let it be what I think it is. Please don't let it be what I think it is.

I looked up when I heard the door open. A detective in a white shirt and brown pants walked inside. I couldn't hear what we were saying to each other. But I did know what he was talking about.

But then he came out and said it. It felt like a jack boot to the face.

"Cut the bull shit," he said. "We know you killed Mikajima Saki last night. Come out and say it already!" I stared at him with big eyes.

"Wait… she's dead?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb," that detective said. "Just confess!"

"I didn't kill her!" I shouted.

"We have you on camera walking up to your girlfriend's apartment," he said. "Just tell the truth!"

Only, they weren't sure it was me. They had the footage of a guy walking up the stairs to my apartment. From behind it looked like me. Put from the front and side, the camera would glitch out, blocking out the face.

"That isn't me," I said. "I was with my friends all night. You can ask them I you don't believe me." I wasn't sure that he believed me or not. I couldn't look at the bloody crime scene photos of Saki. I think about threw up when I saw pictures of her face beaten in. She had been stabbed several times. It wasn't enough for the killer to stab her. They had to bash her face in because they that she was too pretty even in death.

I had to turn my head and vomit when that detective shoved the picture of her bashed-in face in my face. By morning, the police had to let me go. I didn't know what to do with myself afterwards.

I still shutter when I think about it. I don't know if this is all real or not. It would be foolish to think not.

"Masaomi? Masaomi?" I heard back in reality. I about jumped at the sound. Saki stared at me with a puzzled look on her face.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked. I sat across from her, blinking for a moment. Saki frowned as she tilted her head.

"Uh… yeah, yeah, yeah," I lied. "I'm fine." My girlfriend gave me a strange look. I wasn't sure if she believed me or not. Whether she did, Saki didn't say.

I wanted to believe that was end of that. But that wasn't true, was it?

* * *

-Mikado-

I am changing again.

I have not eaten in five days. But I am not hungry. Still, that doesn't stop my friends from being worried about me.

"You're not hungry again?" Masaomi asked. "Are you feeling okay?" I quickly looked up at him.

"Oh, I'm fine," I said. Masaomi looked down at my plate.

"You haven't touched your food," he said. I looked down at my plate.

"Ah," I said. I shoved away my plate. Masaomi's eyes didn't leave me.

"Is this another experiment being done on you?" he asked in a whisper. I couldn't being myself to look at him.

"Oh…" Masaomi said in a low voice. It was all that I could do to keep from screaming.

That wasn't the only problem on my hands.

I can't let this all happen again. I am doing what I can to stop the End of Days. I have done this before. I am about to do this again.

But I cannot do this alone.

Kida-kun and Anri have done so much for me. I can't risk dragging them further into this nightmare. I'm lucky they haven't caught on fully yet. I don't know how long that will last, considering…

I have seen her dying before. Anri's life was slowly draining away because of all those drugs being pumped into her body. She hadn't eaten in weeks. Her body started to reject the feeding tube placed in her body. Anri couldn't cry anymore because of the pain. Though she couldn't move too well, she could feel everything. She cried now because she missed her son, our son. They took him away as soon as he was born. Anri just wanted to hold her son one last time before she died.

But she never would.

I could not let that happen again.

* * *

-Anri-

I had a son. He looked so tiny in my arms. It became love at first sight. I couldn't see his little eyes yet but I remembered that he smelt like tangerines. I had dreams of his future. I looked forward to taking him to the park and walking him to school. Mikado started to warm up to him as well. He was scared of our son at first. I couldn't blame him to be honest. Tandeki and a group of witches from England were interested in the offspring of tadpoles. Mikado tried to hide my pregnancy but somehow word got out and I ended up in Rampo Biotech. It took Kadota, his friends, Celty, Shinra, and Mikado to try and get me back out. I gave birth to my son in a small hospital in the countryside.

I only got to hold him once.

Child Protection Services found us and took my son away. They declared us unfit parents. But Mikado-kun knew it was a lie. Somehow, Tandeki found us and took our son away for their own twisted purposes. Days later, they came and took me away. I was kidnapped in the middle of the night. My body hadn't even fully recovered yet. (Giving birth to my son through a C-section took so much out of me.)

They placed me in a hospital-like room. They connected tubes in my arms and chest. I didn't know what they were pumping into or draining from me. My body grew so weak. I didn't know what was going on or what they were doing to me. The only thing I could think of was my son. Where was he? Was he okay? Would I ever see him again?

I would never get to see my son again. I ended up dying alone in that hospital room prison. Mikado wanted to marry when I got pregnant. I didn't give him an answer until was too late.

I wanted to believe that this was all just a bad dream. But the more I think about, the more real it feels. It that is the case, I am really worried here.

* * *

-Chiharu-

She couldn't form a rational thought in her head anymore.

Shinra and Shingen ended up taking her away to Yagiri Pharmaceuticals and stuffed her in the basement. They left her down here. Her body ached as her writhed in pain. She hadn't fed in weeks. The staff didn't bother to come down to see her.

Right now, she lay on the floor staring up at the white ceiling. Little sparks of images flashed in her head. She couldn't connect them together.

A baby crying filled her ears. She could see nothing but blood. The smell made her want to vomit. A woman held a dead baby in her arms. Smoke made her nose curl. Ikebukuro looked dead around her. No one was in sight. All of her friends lay dead on the ground. Screaming ripped through the air. Angels running through the streets eating anyone in sight. The screaming grew worse. Static and blood blended together. Chiharu couldn't breathe. Her eyes widened and her mouth was stretched open.

Her screaming could be heard from the first floor. The staff could only ignore her for the time being. This couldn't go on for long. Something had to give.

And it would in three days' time.

* * *

-Noriko-

I had to see him again. Why did I call out to that man? I don't even know who he is. I haven't seen him before in my life either. But I felt like I have known him for a long time. Why did I feel so close to him? For some reason when I saw his face, I could feel my heart breaking. He couldn't see my face but he knew who I was. I didn't know why I told him that he needed to eat. I can't understand what's going on with me.

I turned over onto my side.

I had so many questions for him. That's why I had to go out and see him again. I didn't know what could probably tell me but I just had to know. I had to know the truth.

* * *

More memories would be coming back within those ten days before the final gate opened.


	23. Koshima-sensei

Halo Twenty-Two: Koshima-sensei:

Kitano sat at the head of the table.

"Everyone, the final gate will be opened in eight days," he said. "You are welcome to on your prep work for the next round of the game." Those words alone gave the Tandeki Group the permission they had been seeking. Kitano himself had been waiting for this himself. His interns had the same sentiment. In fact, Yayoi, Yuka, and Rumi came by his office this morning. Kitano sat at his desk with notes when there was a knock on his door.

"Enter," he said. He looked up as the door opened. His three female interns scurried inside.

"Ladies," Kitano said. "What can I do for you?" Yayoi stepped forward.

"When are we going to open the gate?" she asked. Her boss raised his eyebrow.

"May I ask why?" he asked.

"We all have been developing the drugs that we want to use on the tadpoles," Yayoi spoke up. "And you know that we have been using the Heartseed to evolve them, right?"

"Yes," Kitano said.

"Well," Yayoi said. "Is it possible that we can give one of the drugs to a particular tadpole in person?" He glanced up at them.

"Do you think you can get close enough?" he asked.

"We can try," Yuka said. Kitano lowered his pen.

"Fair enough," he said.

All three branches of Tandeki's project started to get ready for the next level. Kitano himself had his own preparations to work on.

* * *

-Murder Squad-

"Why didn't you finish him then and there?" Yamato asked.

"I figured that it would be better to make him sweat it out before his death," Tomoya said without blinking. Their leader started to tremble with rage.

"We have to kill them all," he hissed.

"I know," the other tadpole said. "But killing him right then and there wasn't going to be enough. He was the one who stood back and let it happen. Those are the worst kind of people. The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality." Yamato frowned and backed off.

"Hey, come on," Shuichi cut in. "We got it done. Kitano probably got our message. And we've got a new alley to help us with our mission. Yamato looked over at Haru. The older man in black sat in the corner, saying nothing.

"You older than us?" Yamato asked. Haru looked up but didn't answer.

"It was lit!" Shuichi said. "He touched one of my needles and it became an instant death timer." He turned to Tomoya as a thought crossed his mind.

"How did you know to do that?" he asked.

"I don't know," the other tadpole admitted. "It just came to me. Almost like I have said it before." He reached into his coat pocket and froze.

"Oh," Tomoya said. "I did take this from Oshiro-san." He took out the doctor's cell phone. Yamato raised his eyebrow.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I figured that he could still be in contact with some of the former staff," Tomoya said.

"Good thinking," Yamato said.

"So how are you going to do this?" Sur asked. The leader shrugged.

"Just go down the list and call," he said. Yamato managed to unlock the phone and go down the phonebook. His crew circled around for a listen. He dialed the first number.

"Hello?" a man's voice asked. Yamato hung up. Next number.

"Hello?" a woman asked. The tadpole hung up. Next number.

"Hello?" another man asked. This went on for five minutes. The female tadpoles held their breath. Then they finally came to that one number they were looking for.

"I told you not to call me anymore, Oshiro!" a man's gruff snapped. Yamato froze as he shivered.

"It's him," he whispered. The others didn't speak at first.

"You mean…?" Norio asked.

"Yes," Yamato said. "I would know that voice anywhere. I still can't get it out of my head." They didn't need to speak who their next target would be. The tadpole hung up the phone.

* * *

-Izaya-

He didn't know what was going on. An eviction notice was on the door of his second apartment.

"There has to be some mistake," Izaya said to the landlord on the phone.

"No," he said. "You haven't paid in months."

"That can't be right," the information broker said. "I have been paying for rent."

"No," the landlord said. "You haven't been paying since March." Izaya start to do some math in his head.

"Yes, I have," he said. "Have you been getting my money?"

"No," the old man said on the other line. This back and forth carried on for five minutes. In the end, Izaya was just left with one apartment. A text mocking didn't help either.

"Two down, one more to go!"

The information broker clenched his teeth. First his apartment got bombed. Then he got swatted. His money was disappearing. He had some identity thief on his hands. And now, he lost his second apartment.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Hello!?" Izaya asked. A high-pitch whistle came through the other line. The information broker held the phone from his ear as he winced. This was the third night it this happened. Then there were the texts.

Urgh!

What the hell was going on? It was bad enough that he kept getting call of white noise around 3:45 in the morning. But the texts that followed didn't make any sense at all. Just nothing but symbols and bunched together letters. It hurt Izaya's eyes to try and read the text. Cleary this had to be someone messing with him. So far he had no luck trying to find who it was. But was it just one person? Izaya just had to find out.

He had just made to his last remaining apartment when he found himself in for a nasty surprise.

Izaya found a girl about fifteen years old sat in front of the door. She had a on a schoolgirl uniform. Two yellow ribbons held up her long brown hair into two pigtails. She looked like a life-sized doll sitting on the floor, staring up at me. The information broker blinked.

"Uh… If you are looking for Kururi, she's not here," he said. No answer.

"Are you lost or something?" Izaya asked. No answer.

"Can I help you?" he asked. No answer. The information broker started to look around for cameras. He started to frown.

"Who are you?" he asked. The girl looked down at her feet.

"Excuse me, are you lonely tonight?" she asked.

"Huh?" Izaya asked. The girl looked up at him with big, doe eyes. She rushed forward and latched onto his arm.

"Please me?" the girl asked. The information broker looked like he was struggling to say something. He finally shoved her off.

"You need to leave," he said. The girls tried to grab his arm again but Izaya kept pushing her away as he fumbled for his keys.

"Come on, quit screwing around," Izaya said. "Please leave." The girl wouldn't let up. She clung to his arm tighter.

"Stop now," he said. "Get off. I said get off." The information broker finally pushed her off and unlocked the door. He dashed inside before the had a chance to follow him. But that girl didn't leave. She started pounding on the door.

"Let me in! Please let me in!" the girl pleaded. Izaya rubbed his forehead. Who was this girl? Who sent her? Wait…

His phone buzzed again.

The Information broker groaned. "What is it now?" Izaya pulled out his phone. Sure enough, there was a new text message. It would've been easier to just delete the text and moved on. Nevertheless, he opened the unread text.

"Did you get your present yet? Did you get your present yet? Did you get your present yet? Did you get your present yet? Did you get your present yet? Did you get your present yet?"

That question repeated itself as he scrolled down. Izaya wrinkled his nose as he turned off his phone. That would enough weird for him today.

* * *

-Koshima-

-February 10, 1998-

Shuichi sat in the corner, trembling. He sat in a pool of his own vomit. His body twitched earlier. Tears were dried on his cheeks. At least he wasn't looking into the eyes of a dead body in a cell.

But then the door opened. Shuichi looked up. _No… Please don't tell… I can't take anymore of this! I don't want to die._

A rough hand grabbed him by the hair. Shuichi looked up to see that old bastard looking down at him. The doctor smirked at him.

"Well look at this," he muttered. "You're still alive after all." The doctor threw mental patient against the wall. Shuichi landed against wall with a thud. His abuser walked over to him.

"Heh," he said. "Society doesn't need trash like you." The doctor leaned down to Shuichi.

"You had this coming," he hissed. "All of it." The doctor kicked him in the stomach. More kicks followed. Then the doctor got bored.

* * *

-Present Day-

Around nine in the evening, there was a knock on the hotel door. An old man hurried over to the door.

"Hang on!" he shouted. "Give me a moment." The old man opened the door. Hifumi stood at the doorway, smiling. She held a tray in her hand.

"Room service," she said. The old man smiled.

"Well now," he said. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" He looked her up and down.

"But… I didn't call for room service," the old man said.

"On the house," Hifumi said, teasing him with her cleavage. The old man chuckled.

"Care to come in?" he asked.

"Sure," the tadpole said. The old man opened the door wide. His face suddenly dropped. The rest of the murder crew appeared behind her.

"Wait a minute…" the old man said. Yamato sneered at the target.

"Hello, sensei," he said. "Remember us?"

"No… wait… you're…" he said. Panic covered his face. Hifumi threw down her tray and whipped out her knife.

"Take a seat," she said.

"Now come on, be reasonable about this…" the doctor said. Hifumi gritted her teeth.

"I said take a seat!" she shouted. Koshima-sensei put up his hands and slowly backed into the room. Hifumi walked him inside. The rest of the crew followed inside. Shuichi closed the door behind him with the hammer in his hand. Koshima-sensei stared at all eight of his captors. When it all came back to him, the old doctor wanted to vomit.

"Look, what do you want from me?" he asked. "I can give you money. How much do you want? Name your price."

"Hm… let's see," Erina said, pretending to think. "How much would you pay to have various drugs forced down your throat?"

"Or experiment on your body in front of mental hospital staff," Yamato added. Koshima-sensei looked at the tadpoles as he struggled to speak.

"You can't hold that against me," he said. "I didn't participate in any of the experiments on you guys." Yamato stepped forward.

"I saw you out with your daughter the other day," he said. "She looked really cute. How old is she, I wonder? Twelve? Thirteen? I wonder how much you pay to have experiments performed on her." The color drained from the doctor's face.

"You leave her out of this!" Koshima-sensei shouted. "She's innocent." Shuichi wrinkled his nose.

"Unlike us, the societal trash that had it coming?" he asked.

"Start talking," Hifumi said. "Are there more former Chou Mori staff members in the city? Don't lie to us." Chains came out of her hands and began to wrap around his waist and legs. Koshima-sensei's eyes darted around the room.

"W-W-What are you going to do to me?" he asked. The chains started to grow tighter. Hifumi clicked her tongue.

"Answer the damn question!" she shouted. "Are there more former Chou Mori staff members in the city? Are you still in contact with them?" The point of her knife touched his throat. Shuichi held his hammer high above his hand. Haru stood in the back corner ready to take his left glove off.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock," Hifumi said through clinched teeth. Their captive shut his eyes as he wet himself.

"Yes!" Koshima-sensei shouted. "There are others here! I have seen at least two of them around Ikebukuro! I don't really keep in contact with any of them!"

"Where are they?" Hifumi asked.

"Why?! You're just going to kill them!" he said. "You don't think we wouldn't put it together. It's been you killing all of the people who worked at Chou Mori."

"And what of it?" Yamato asked. "You assholes put us through hell!"

"And how is that my problem?" Koshima-sensei asked.

"You're part of it!" Sur shouted. "Fuck you!"

"It was just my job!" the doctor said. "Who was going to believe you anyway? You were just mental patients. They were say that you were crazy." The whole time, Shuichi breathed heavily and gritted his teeth. Seeing his face and hearing his voice chipped away at his sanity. Those last few words were all it took.

"You are pissing me off!" Shuichi shouted. He ran forward with his hammer above his head.

Whack!

The rest of the group didn't bother stopping him. Shuichi came hammering their target in the head with all of his might. He broke down screaming the whole time. Blood splattered all over the walls, headboard, and sheets. Reo had to run over and grab him by the shoulders.

"Let go of me!" Shuichi yelled. The younger girl leaned into his ear.

"That's enough," she whispered. "He's dead now. We've completed what we needed to do." Shuichi looked down at his work. The body lay underneath him with his head bashed in. Brains and blood stained the white sheets. Shuichi lowered his hammer and took a breath.

"Is it over?" he asked.

"Yes," Reo said. She had to pull him away and walk him out of the room. Hifumi started to look for the dead man's phone. They weren't going to clean up the scene either.

* * *

-Lucy-

Lucy sat in the darkness with the color drained from her face. Hecate stood across from her, smiling.

"That's just how it is, my dear sister," she said. "That's just how it is." Lucy slowly shook her head.

"No…" she said. The nightcomer wanted to win this game just as badly as her sisters. But she never thought that the price would have to come to this.


	24. Hisayo

Halo Twenty-Three: Hisayo:

_Two diaries have returned. One of schoolgirl innocence of love. The other the love of a housewife. Both led to the downfall of the woman._

-Project Angel-

Junko looked up from her desk.

"Yui, Kawaguchi," she said. "Come here." Her interns walked up to their boss. She held out her hand.

"Do you have your lists of who you want to enter into the Angel Project?" the nurse asked. The interns wordlessly handed in their lists.

"Thank you," Junko said. She read over the lists. The interns stood silent. Their boss looked up.

"Very good," she said. Junko turned to Yui. "Are you ready to go open the gate?"

"Yes," Yui said, nodding.

"That's good," the nurse said. She turned to her laptop and typed up the names.

"Sensei," Yui said.

"Hm?" Junko asked.

"What happens now?" the intern asked.

"What do you mean?" her boss asked. Yui turned to Kawaguchi. His face didn't change.

"After the gate opens, what do we do?" he asked. Junko paused with her typing. She turned with a wide grin on her face.

"Sit back and watch," the nurse said. "We just need to keep making and studying the angels." The interns looked at her with no emotion on their faces. Junko turned back to her laptop and resumed typing.

The whole time, angels howled before them.

* * *

-Noriko and Michiko-

"Do I know him?" Noriko asked.

"Yes," Michiko said.

"Do I know you?"

"Yes." Michiko kept her gaze on the teenaged girl. They've done this before. She braced herself for what was coming next.

"Your diary," the young girl said. "Have they sent it to you?" Michiko bit down on her lower lip. Maybe it was in vain, but part of her hoped that the answer would be no. But deep down she knew. It was going to be too late to turn back now.

"Yes," Noriko said in a low voice. Michiko's stomach dropped as the stoic look on her face betrayed what she was really feeling.

"How much do you remember?" she asked.

"I don't know," Noriko said.

"We're you married?"

"I don't know."

"Do you remember the countryside?"

"I don't know."

"What about your family?"

"I had a mom and a dad."

"What are their names?"

"I don't know."

"Where were they born?"

"I don't know." Next came the question that would be a total gut punch. Michiko braced herself. She took in a deep breath.

"Do you remember your son?" she asked. Noriko froze.

"My… son…?" she asked. Her eyes welled up with tears. "My… son…" Noriko started to tremble. Michiko's heart sank.

"Oh Noriko," she said. The girl fell to her knees as the tears wouldn't stop flowing. Michiko bit her lower lip.

"Okay, listen to me," she said. She walked over and grabbed the girl by the wrists. Michiko lifted her head. Noriko stared at her with big eyes.

"Listen to me," Michiko said again. "We do not have much time. The final gate is about to be opened. You and Makoto have to help me stop the game from reaching its climax." Noriko sat blinking.

"Huh?" she asked. "What do you mean?" This was what Michiko feared. Noriko still didn't have her memories back. The young-looking girl found herself in a sticky position. Under normal situations, she would be happy to let Noriko live in this life with none of the memories from the previous cycles. But recent events pushed her to make the decision that she had to make.

"Take me back to your place," Michiko said.

"What for?" Noriko asked.

"We can't talk here," the young-looking girl said. "Take me back to your place. Do it now." Noriko quickly nodded as she wiped away her tears.

"Okay," she murmured. Michiko followed her back to her apartment.

* * *

-Kadota-

-Months Earlier-

Kadota had wrapped up remodeling the activity room of the main Kinko Sekai Apartment building. Strange things kept happening around this building. Some of the work staff complained about hearing footsteps and whispering at night. So far, Kadota hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.

That was until that November night.

He was about to leave for the day when he heard a soft thud hit the floor. Kadota turned his head.

"Huh?" he asked. "Who's there?" No answer. Kadota frowned as he took a look around. Something caught his eye as he looked down on the floor. A brown notebook lay near an empty cubby hole. Curious, Kadota walked over to the book and picked it up. There was no title on the cover. Just all brown. He flipped it over to the back.

"Hm? Who is Isobe Hisayo?" he asked. Kadota looked up to when he heard footsteps running. He jerked his head upwards and froze.

"What am I doing?" he asked. "I should be home by now." Kadota stuffed the diary into his bag and walked out of the abandoned building.

-Present Day-

That diary has been sitting in Kadota's apartment for months now. He didn't have the time to get back to it.

That all changed tonight.

Kadota had just gotten home for the day when he heard a soft thud hit the floor. He turned to see that notebook lying on the floor. A confused look came over his face.

"What is this doing out here?" he asked. Kadota picked up the notebook and looked at the cover. This felt like an invitation to a horror movie situation. He should turn it over to the Lost and Found. What was this notebook doing in that apartment complex? Kadota would've chalked it up to kids leaving behind their schoolbooks while cutting class. But something about this diary didn't feel right. Just by looking at the outside, it looked too old for any high schoolers to own from this time period. Now, the more Kadota looked at this book the more he had to open it up and look inside.

His fingers inched toward the front cover.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Kadota turned his head for the source. Once he returned where he put his phone, he pulled it out of his pocket.

"Hello?" Kadota asked.

"Kadota-san?" a woman's voice asked on the other line. Despite her voice coming through in a whisper, he already knew who it was. Even so, a confused look came over Kadota's face.

"Non?" he asked. "What's the matter? Why are you whispering like this?" She paused for a moment.

"I think something is wrong with Rocchi," Non said.

"What do you mean?" Kadota asked.

"It's hard to say, but I don't think he's been himself lately," she said. "Um… I can I meet up with you somewhere?"

"Okay, sure," he said, eyes narrowed.

"Thank you so much," Non whispered. There was another pause over the line. "He's coming back now. I have to go." She hung up before Kadota could get in another word. He looked at his phone.

It rang again in his hand.

"Hello?" he asked again. All Kadota could hear on the other line was static.

"Hello?" he asked a third time. Somebody tried to speak through the static, but the gangster couldn't make out who it was.

"I can't hear you," Kadota said. "Who is this?" The voice turned into to screaming over the static.

"What are you saying? Who are you?" he asked as he struggled to listen. The line went dead. Kadota was about to try to redial the number when his phone rang again.

"Hello?" he asked. This time, Kadota got a clicking noise over the phone. That was followed by static, something like a death rattle, and then the line went dead again. He stared at my phone. Was it a wrong number? Was it even the same person?

Kadota's phone buzzed. This time it was a text from Saburo. The whole time, a blackened schoolgirl watched him from the window.

* * *

-Makoto-

_I can't escape her, can I?_

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fate just loved to fuck with him. Memories of his wife had been coming back for quite some time. Seeing that girl again made it worse. How did she know who he was? The moment she talked to him; his stomach dropped. It took his current girlfriend to pull him away.

"Do you know that weird girl?" Evie asked as the couple walked away. Makoto only shook his head.

"What was that all about?" she said.

"I don't know," he lied. It felt like he was back in the eighties. His wife always asked if he ate or not. He would've just chalked it up to an honest mistake. But Makoto knew otherwise.

Michiko's words started to get to him.

"She's starting to remember everything," she warned him. Just like Michiko, Makoto started to fear the worst.

He froze when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Evie asked in the kitchen. "Who is this? Why do you want to talk to my boyfriend? What are you talking about? Who the hell are you?! Hello? Hello?" Evie clicked her tongue as she hung up.

"Who was that?" Makoto asked. He heard the footsteps walk back into the living room. He could tell that Evie was frowning at him.

"Some crazy lady called our apartment asking for you," she said. "I don't even know how she got the landline number." Her boyfriend froze.

"Did this woman have a Scottish accent?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" Evie asked. Makoto's heart ached in his chest.

"No…" he mumbled. He pulled his knees to his chest.

"Makoto?" his girlfriend asked.

"They won't let me go. They won't let me go. They won't let me go," he muttered repeatedly. He could feel the Widow's eyes burning into his body as Evie's voice sounded so distant.

* * *

-Noriko-

"I have to see him again," she said to herself. Noriko couldn't get Makoto out of her head. Something about him warmed up her heart. Fond memories of him floated through her head. But yet, she always felt so sad at the same time. How did she know him? Why did she feel that why about him? She had to see him again.

Noriko sat up on her bed. There was only one way for her to find out. She didn't have a plan to go about this. The girl picked up her diary and shoved it into her bag. Noriko just walked out the door in the middle of the night.

* * *

-Izaya-

Izaya drew in a breath and picked up his phone.

"Mikage, hey!" he said. "I have a little problem. I might need your help with it. Call me as soon as you get this." Izaya hung up when he heard a knock on his door.


	25. Lucy

Halo Twenty-Four: Lucy:

-Project Heaven-

Daichi and Osamu were setting up for the night shift.

"So have you thought about grad school yet?" Daichi asked his partner. Osamu rolled his eyes.

"Did the old man tell you to ask me?" he asked. Daichi shrugged.

"Just curious," he said.

"I don't know, okay?" Osamu asked. "I don't think about that sort of thing, you know?"

"I understand," the younger man said.

"I mean, I don't have the time or money to go to a fancy grad school like all of you do."

"Kitano-sensei can pay for you to go to grad school, you know?"

"That's not the point." Osamu set down his sears and turned his head. Daichi put up his hands.

"Okay, okay," he said. "I'll drop it."

"Thank you," the older man said. "And I still say blonde will be the next player in the game. We just need to kill the girlfriend first." Daichi raised his eyebrow.

"You sure about that?" he asked.

"Yes," Osamu said with a grin. "Once the girlfriend is gone, he will be a perfect addition to the game."

"If you say so," Daichi said under his breath. His older partner looked up at him out of the corner of his eye.

The whole time, their interns watched with blank looks on their faces. Osamu turned his head.

"You're not getting paid to stand around and look pretty," he said. "Get back to work." The interns rushed back to work. Daichi and Osamu got back to work as well.

Six more days until the gate opened.

* * *

-Lucy-

The nightcomer sat holed up in a motel room. For five days, she didn't know what to do. Hecate didn't even bother to soften the blow.

-Six Days Earlier-

Hecate and Lucy stood in front of Raira Academy. The younger sister whistled.

"That gate is massive," she said.

"Uh-huh," Hecate said. "The core is in the basement." She turned to her sister.

"Wow," Lucy said.

"However, we're not strong enough to open it alone," her sister said. The younger nightcomer had a confused look on her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Hecate gave her a cold smile.

"Hecate?" Lucy asked. Her sister put her arm around her shoulders.

"You see, this is a special gate," Hecate said, fanning her hand out towards the empty academy. "It can't simply be opened by magic."

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked.

"Not even mother with all of us combine can open it with our problems," the older sister said. The other nightcomer gave her an odd look.

"So… How do we open that gate?" Lucy asked. Hecate leaned in with a grin on her face.

"The blood of a nightcomer," she said in a low voice. Her sister's eyes widened.

"You can't mean…" she said. Hecate smiled and patted her on the head. Lucy's stomach dropped.

-Present Day-

Lucy shut her eyes.

"I don't want to die," she whimpered. But what else could she do? Hecate was determined to sacrifice her to the gate. Allison was okay with this too.

"The end justifies the means, my dear daughter," she told her. Allison wouldn't hear anymore arguments.

"Why can't it be you?" Lucy complained. Hecate spun around with a catlike smile on her face.

"Because, dear sister," she said. She grabbed Lucy by her cheeks. "I am more valuable than you are."

The younger nightcomer glared in the darkness. She clenched her fists in her lap. Lucy gritted her teeth.

"I refuse to die!" she hissed. "I can fight this."

She would need the help to do it.

* * *

-Izaya-

Lucy wasn't the only one getting desperate.

Izaya checked one of his phones. More and more strange texts kept popping. They came to all three of his phones. How were these people getting his number? Izaya couldn't understand how deep his situation had gotten. He had all of the power and information he wanted at his fingertips. But he couldn't track down who was making his life a living hell. It was like they never existed. How could this even be possible? Izaya couldn't even find them on the dark web.

Kitano denied being the one doing anything to him.

"You think that I would have time to deal with you?" the therapist asked.

"I wouldn't put it past you," Izaya said. Kitano rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"You're starting to sound like Chirin now," he said.

"I don't blame him," the information broker said under his breath. Kitano glanced at him.

"Look," he said. "I am not the one doing this to you. We've been focused on the last gate, remember?" Kitano pulled out his phone.

"See?" he asked. "I haven't been texting you. Anything else?" Izaya frowned as he looked at the phone. The answer was no. But what else could he do?

"Are we done here?" Kitano asked. Izaya sighed.

"No," he said.

"Good, now get out," the therapist said. "I have work to do." Izaya dropped his shoulders and walked out. Like he even believed him. But he couldn't figure out how Kitano was doing it. He had to have a second phone in his possession. That had to be it. Question was, who else was driving him crazy like this?

As much as he didn't want to come to this, but Izaya knew that he was going to need some help with getting to the bottom of this. Lucky for him, he still had a certain programmer that he was sleeping with.

* * *

-Harley-

Being a gang leader had its perks. Harley found that she had really useful connections on her hands. She could order her boys to do what ever she wanted them to do. Harley could even call in for favors if she wanted.

Today, she was giving a favor.

Lucy sat across from her in the karaoke booth. Harley raised her eyebrow.

"You want me to do what now?" she asked. Lucy rested her hands in her lap.

"I need some protection from my family," she said. Harley took a drag of her cigarette.

"They out to kill you?" she asked.

"Yes," Lucy said. "I don't want to die." The demon woman narrowed her eyes.

"Are you the one who's been freeing us?" she asked. The nightcomer tried not to look startled.

"Why would you say that?" she asked.

"Why else would you follow me back here?" Harley asked. "Don't bother lying anymore either. Tell me the truth." Lucy threw up her hands in the air.

"Fine, you got me," she said. Harley began to smile.

"Much better," she said.

"Aren't going to keep me alive?" Lucy asked. Harley flicked out her cigarette.

"Let me ask you something," she said. "Aren't you part of the game?"

"Yes."

"So, why are you trying to sabotage it?"

Lucy frowned as folded her arms across her chest. "I don't want to die." She looked up at the demon woman. "Did you know that a nightcomer's blood is the only way to open the gate?"

"Nightmare," Harley said with a whisper. "If not you, then who? Don't you want to further the game?"

"Well… yeah, but…" Lucy said. She clenched her fists in her lap. "I don't want to die!" Harley patted her on the back.

"I understand," she said in a low voice. "I will help you." The nightcomer looked up at her.

"Really? You mean it?" she asked.

"Yes," Harley said. "I can help you out."

"Thank you so much," the nightcomer said. Harley smiled to herself. She could use this to her advantage. It felt good to have the power.

* * *

-Kitano-

Everything was just about ready. But problems can still arise. Kitano already knew two of them rearing their ugly heads.

First, the sacrifice had gone AWOL. This was brought to his attention through Hecate herself.

"Hello?" he asked when he answered the phone.

"Hey, it's me," a woman said on the other line. "We have a little problem." The therapist raised his eyebrow.

"Ms. Mayfair?" he asked. "What's the matter?"

"My sister has gone missing," Hecate said. "And I think I know why."

"Okay, what do you want me to do about it?" Kitano asked.

"I'm just letting you know," she said.

"Okay then," he said. "Find her and get back on track. You have five days." Kitano hung up. He anticipated something like this coming. Such a pain.

Then there was the issue of Izaya. At least Kitano had a plan to deal with him.

* * *

-Lucy-

Despite her plans to survive, the call of the gate rings in her ears. Lucy winced as she rubbed on her left ear. She shut her eyes.

_You will not take me! I refuse to die for this game! I want to live in the new world._

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Against her better judgement, Lucy picked up her phone. She received one text. When she opened it, Lucy was reminded how dire her situation was.

"You will not escape this. Surrender to your fate."

Screaming filled the hotel room as her phone hit the wall.

* * *

-Mikage-

Mikage stared at her phone. She had to play that voice message about five times. The martial artist frowned.

"What did you get yourself into now, you idiot?" she asked. Mikage whipped her head around when she heard disembodied whispering.

"Who's there?!" the martial artist snapped. Once again, she got no answer. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. But then, her phone buzzed again. Mikage looked at the screen to see that she had a new text. She didn't recognize the number. At first, she was tempted to delete the message altogether. But with one press of her thumb and Mikage was dragged into the Wasteland just like everyone else.

"They're going to kill me. I am already dead."


	26. Izaya

Halo Twenty-Five: Izaya:

-Kitano and Etsuko-

"Is everything set?" Kitano asked.

"Yes, Kitano," Etsuko said.

"Good, good," he said. "You know, my girls are just itching to get started. They came to me the other day with an interesting request." Etsuko looked over her shoulder from the window.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"They want to perform the next experiment on Chirin personally," Kitano said. Etsuko looked at him as if he was sprouting a second head from his neck.

"Won't that affect the balance of the experiment?" she asked.

"Perhaps," he said. "But we might be able to balance it out. Tell me, do any of your interns have any personal favorites?" Etsuko took a moment to think.

"Not really," she said. "I might have to ask though."

"I see," he said. Another thought crossed the doctor's mind.

"What about Izaya?" she asked.

"Ah yes, him," Kitano said. "I have just the thing." They would have four more days until the gate was to be opened.

* * *

-Izaya-

This wasn't supposed to go like this. He was Orihara Izaya. He was the puppet master, not the puppet. How did this happen? The cracks in his mask started to show.

"Nii-san, are you feeling okay?" Kururi asked. Izaya looked up from his phone. More of his money started disappearing. The other day, he received a video of him alone in his apartment. He was lying sound asleep in his bed. When he looked out in the living room this morning, there was no evidence of anyone breaking into the apartment. There was no one hiding under his bed, in the closets, or even in the ceiling.

That wouldn't be the last picture either.

Izaya turned to his sister with a forced smile on his face.

"Of course I am," he said. "Why wouldn't I be?" Kururi frowned.

"My card was declined," she said.

"Huh? When did that happen?" he asked.

"This afternoon," his sister complained. "I tried to buy this purse that I wanted but my card was declined. I had to pay in cash." Izaya rolled his eyes.

"You don't need another purse," he said under his breath.

"Hm?" she asked. Izaya shook his head.

"Nothing," he said. "Just don't use any of the cards, okay?" Kururi gave him a confused look.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing," Izaya lied. "Don't worry about it." Suddenly, their phones buzzed.

"Hm?" the information broker asked. He and his sister pulled out their phones. A new text notification popped up on the screen. The number was blocked.

"What is this?" Kururi asked. She opened the text. There were no words in the message. The teenage girl had a confused look on her face.

"Huh?" she asked. Kururi and Izaya started scrolling down the message at the same time. Further down the message showed a single photo of them in the living room just seconds earlier.

"What is this?" the younger sister asked. The color drained from the information broker's face. He pushed past Kururi and bolted out the door.

"Nii-san?" she asked. "Where are you going? Nii-san?" She only got a slamming door in response.

* * *

-Purgatory-

The beginning of the end was coming. Purgatory could already feel it. The cycle was about to loop again.

"What should we do?" Miiko asked. Vanessa rose to her feet.

"We have no choice," she said. "It's time to take the direct approach." The receptionist's eyes grew big.

"Yes, miss!" she said with a jump. "Shall I go ring the bell?"

"Why yes," Vanessa said.

"Yes, miss!" Miiko shouted with a salute. She ran down the hall. The manager followed behind. Miiko made it back to her front desk.

"Everyone!" she yelled as she rang the bell. "Get down here! We have an emergency! Get down here now!" The bell rang throughout the hotel. It didn't take long for everyone to gather around the desk. Cheri led her kittens and puppies. Momoki could easily disappear into the growing crowd. Even Naho's teddy bears followed behind. Vanessa and Miiko watched as everyone gather around the front desk. The manager stepped forward.

"We all know why we are here," Vanessa said. "It is now time to make our move! You are welcome not to hold back anymore!" Everyone in the lobby cheered. Miiko turned to Vanessa.

"Shall I go get the weapons?" she asked.

"Yes," Vanessa said. Miiko vanished into thin air. She came back with armfuls of weapons. The manager already had plans to the last gate. And Vanessa knew just the right people to send for the job.

* * *

-Demon Woman-

For twenty-four hours, Izaya had been wandering around in the city. He didn't have any phones on him. The information broker slept the night at a Net café. He would've gone to Shinra or Mikage for help but he didn't want them to get mixed up in this. Whatever this was.

Around two in the morning, Izaya wandered around the empty streets of Ikebukuro. The vibe from his surrounding gave him the creeps. He knew this city just like his own body. But lately, nothing felt familiar. It didn't help that he had any of his phones on him. Kururi was going to be fine. (Aoba was staying with her for the night.) She wanted to come with him but Izaya wouldn't allow it.

"It's too dangerous for you to come with," he told her. Kururi snuggled up close to him.

"Aw, that's so sweet of you to care about me," she said. Izaya rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious," he said. "You have to stay here. Go stay at a friend's house tonight if you have to."

"What is going on?" his sister asked.

"Don't ask questions!" he hissed. "Just do as I as say!" Kururi looked at him with big eyes.

"Okay, okay," she said. She stayed with her boyfriend for the night.

Izaya rubbed his forehead. Getting in Dragon Zombie wouldn't do any good. He didn't even know who he was dealing with. Izaya couldn't even find out who was stalking him. All of that searching in the net café came up empty. Damn these people were good at covering their tracks. Too good.

That's when he became aware that he wasn't alone anymore.

In the distance, a woman swayed around as if she was drunk. In one hand she held a large bottle of sake by her side. Her long red dress was ripped up. She hummed to herself as she looked like she would collapse at any moment. Just staring at her put Izaya at unease. Every fiber in his being told him to run. But it felt like his feet had turned into lead.

Suddenly, the woman stopped moving. She turned her head as if to look up at Izaya. Or at least it seemed that way. The information broker stood up straight.

"Well, well, well, well," the woman said. "What do we have here? A little mousey?" Izaya cocked his head.

"Uh… and you are?" he asked. The woman swayed as she moved towards her target. By now, Izaya got a better look at her face. Her lipstick was smeared to high heaven. Her long black hair was a mess. Her mascara was smeared all around her eyes. The only thing out of place on her face was her clown-like smirk. Izaya whipped out his knife.

"Whoa! Easy there, mousey!" the woman said. "I'm a peace-loving demon. I'm not hear to fight. I just want to talk." Izaya raised his eyebrow. He wouldn't lower his knife.

"Come on," she said. "What is it going to take to convince you?" The information broker muttered something under his breath.

"Excuse me?" the messy woman asked.

"Nothing," Izaya lied. He shoved his knife back into his coat.

"There you go," she said. The information broker smirked.

"Heh," he said.

"How's your sister?" the demon asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just asking." She noticed the deadly look on his face. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt her. I'm just interested in you." The woman looked like a ballet dancer as she twirled around. The streetlight did little flatter her.

"And why is that?" Izaya asked. Her eyes locked onto him.

"Don't you know? Don't you know?" she asked.

"Know what?" Izaya reached for his knife again. She looked like she was ready to break out into laughter.

"You don't know? You're an information broker. You're supposed to know everything!" the woman shouted. She broke down laughing. Izaya frowned. Her voice made her want to strangle her. He didn't usually hurt women but this wasn't a woman.

"You don't want to hurt this body," the woman said. "She's still alive in here, you know?" Izaya's nostrils flared as he took a breath.

"Is there a point to any of this?" he asked. The woman pouted at him.

"You don't have your phone on you," she said. "That's no fun! You have to play the game!" Izaya narrowed his eyes.

"So it was you," he said. The woman had a catlike smirk on her face.

"Who said it was just me?" she asked. Izaya's face dropped.

"How many of you are there?" he asked.

"Like I'd tell," the possessed woman said. She broke down giggling. The woman twirled around with the bottle high above her head. She stopped and stared at her prey. Before Izaya knew it, her face came within inches of his. He didn't get time to move as she grabbed him by the arm. Izaya struggled to get away but her grip was like a vice. For one second, her face resembled a demonic mask. Her grin showed off all of her teeth.

"You can't get away, mousey!" she hissed. "We know everything about you. You can't get away! We won't let you!" All of the color drained from his face. The woman leaned in close to his ear. Her parting words were enough to break him.

His knife hit the ground.

Izaya spent the early hours of the morning running around, screaming for help. His panic drew the attention of an off-duty cop. Izaya ran over to him when he saw him on his motorbike.

"Officer!" he shouted. "Please help me! They are out to get me! Help me!" The officer smirked at him.

"Well, well, well," he said. "Looks like it's my lucky day!"

Click. Click.

* * *

-Kitano-

Kitano looked the clock on his computer. Soon, it would minutes to midnight. It would be time to open the gate.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Kitano turned to his desk drawer.

"Hm?" he asked. He had a clue about who would be calling.


	27. Widow

Halo Twenty-Six: Widow:

The following twenty-four hours is a record of what happened before the final Gate to the Apocalypse was opened.

-Mikage-

Five whole days and she heard nothing. Izaya was the one to call for help and now he wasn't answering her calls. At one point, Kururi picked up his phone.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Why do have Izaya's phone?" the martial artist asked, confused. "Where is your brother?"

"Why do you want to know?" Kururi asked. She hung before Mikage could speak. The martial artist frowned. She tried to dial Izaya again.

"He's not in right now," Kururi told her.

"Can I leave him a message?" Mikage asked.

"No," the younger sister said once again. She hung up before Mikage could say anything else. Why did Kururi have to act like this? Didn't she care that Izaya might be in danger?

Mikage's phone rang again.

"Hello?" she asked.

"I apologize for that," Izaya said.

"Stop playing games here," Mikage said. "What is going on here?" There was a pause on the other line. She braced herself for Izaya to dodge her questions. He seemed to be whispering something the phone.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"Listen, I have to go," he said.

"Izaya!" Mikage shouted. He had already hung up—again. She remembered the last time she talked to him.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Mikage asked him on a Friday.

"What are you saying?" Izaya asked. "Can't I talk to a dear friend without any motives?"

"Come on," Mikage said, frowning. "I know how you are. What is going on?"

"I have to go," he said.

"Izaya!" she shouted. He had already hung up. Mikage tried to call him back, but Kururi wouldn't let her through.

* * *

For the next three days, Mikage didn't hear from him. He wasn't in the Dollars chatroom. Nobody had seen him around Ikebukuro. Aoba didn't tell her where he was.

"How should I know where he is?" he asked. "He just emailed me instructions to come here and get to work."

"And when was that?" Mikage asked.

"About three nights ago," Aoba said. He wasn't much help. Mari didn't know where he was either.

"When did you say you heard from him last?" she asked.

"About three nights ago," Mikage said. "Why, did something happen to him?"

"I am not sure," Mari said. She moved her to her mouth and started biting on her thumbnail. "I have been so busy with work and Kururi won't tell me anything either."

"Yeah, she claimed that she didn't know where he was either," Mikage said. Mari gave her a strange look.

"You actually talked to her?" she asked. "She wouldn't even open the door for me."

"Yeah, his sister is kind of like that," the martial artist said.

"I know," Mari muttered.

* * *

When she got home that evening, Mikage's phone rang. It was Izaya's number.

"Hello?" she asked.

"So this is who Izaya-san's been communicating with on this phone," a man's voice said on the other line. Mikage froze. Her phone landed on the dojo floor. The man on the other line spoke again.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Kitano Katsuhiro-sensei. Please to make your acquittances."

* * *

-Hecate-

Her phone rang. Hecate already knew that this was coming. She braced herself to suck it up and call.

"Yes, mother?" Hecate asked.

"Where is Lucy?" Allison asked on the other line. The older daughter sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I'm still working on it," she said.

"This is not good enough," her mother said. "That gate needs to be opened by tonight."

"Yes, I know," Hecate said. "She might be have sought out protection in this case."

"Foolish girl," Allison said. "She knows that she cannot change her fate." Her daughter just rolled her eyes and nodded. She did agree about the fate thing. But still…

"Get your sister back to open the gate," her mother hissed.

"Yes, yes," Hecate said. "I am on it." She hung up as she sighed. Lucy should've stuck with the plan. Why did she have to create headaches for her?

Hecate rose to her feet. Oh well, time to go hunting for her sister. Lucky for her, she had a little bit of help.

"I didn't want to come to this," Hecate said to herself. "But time is not on my side right now. Better make this quick." Hecate pulled out a stick of lipstick and drew a circle on the wall. She took a knife and cut her left hand. The sting didn't faze her at all. Hecate put her hand in the center and began to chant. The room grew colder. Hecate could hear static between her ears. Her mind pushed through the many voices surrounding it.

Suddenly, her eyes ripped open.

"There!" Hecate shouted. The room felt lighter. Tiny red lights started floating in the air. Her hand never left the wall.

"I need your assistance," she said. "Bring back my sister." The lights vanished in a flash. Hecate sat down on the floor, panting. She looked over at the clock by her bed. 10:52 a.m. Just a few more hours to go.

* * *

-Michiko-

Already, she could feel the rapture coming. This time, it came more violent than other. Old memories started to fill her head.

This morning, she awoke to the smell of blood. She wrinkled her nose as she fluttered her eyes. The young girl quickly sat up.

"Oh no," she said to herself. "No, no, no!" Michiko jumped out her bed and ran out of the room. The night before, she started to have visions again.

A woman in a white kimono stained in blood sat on the dirt floor holding her deceased baby in her arms. A man sat up, leaning against a bamboo wall with his stomach slit wide open. Seven little children sat on the ground covered in blood. Michiko covered her mouth as she started backing away. All of their eyes locked onto her.

_Stay away… Stay away… _Michiko's legs started to shake.

But then more footsteps came into the room. Her stomach bean to drop. She knew what was coming next. She wanted to scream but no sound came out.

_No… No!_

There she was. A pale, disheveled woman dragged her feet into the bamboo room. Her long black hair hadn't been washed or combed in weeks. Her bloodied fingernail stood out against her dark jeans. A large white sweater covered her torso. She had her eyes on the ground. Michiko's heart started pounding against her chest. She slowly shook her head.

"No… No… No!" Michiko shouted.

A car zipped by her.

The girl turned her head. She found herself standing on the sidewalk in the middle of the busy street. It took her a moment to realize where she was. Michiko looked around for a clock. Six in the evening? It was morning when she left the apartment that she was staying in. Where had the time gone? What was that? She hadn't experience a vision like that before. Right then, Michiko knew what she had to do.

The young girl started running towards Raira Academy.

* * *

-Makoto-

He knew he wasn't alone when the room got cold.

_It can't be…_

He couldn't see her but he knew that she was there. She stood inches in front of him, in fact.

"Please leave me alone," Makoto pleaded. "I don't have anything to do with you. Why won't you leave me alone?" She never speaks. He could still feel her wrath. Makoto broke down shivering. Evie couldn't save him this time. Especially since that Noriko girl first talked to him. He couldn't understand her. Why did she sound like her? At first, he thought that she found him again. But that couldn't be possible. She was long gone. Wasn't she?

Michiko's voice rang in his head. Makoto quickly shook his head.

"No," he whispered. "Don't make me do this again. I'm too tired. We can't win this. They will keep crushing us. It's going to be the same thing all over again." Makoto covered his ears and gritted his teeth. A loud whimper came out of his mouth.

Meanwhile, that disheveled woman stood in front of him. He could never see her face. But he knew that she was smirking at him. She fed off of his misery that way. Even through that, Makoto realized what had to be done. As much as he hated to come to that, he didn't have a choice.

Suddenly, a soft singing voice filled his ears. As if in a trance, Makoto rose to his feet. He walked past the widow and walked out of the apartment.

* * *

-Noriko-

She doesn't know how to find him but she has to find him no matter what. His soul was calling out to her. She's seen this before. But why was he so afraid of her? They only just met. But Noriko felt like she had known him forever.

She took one more look around her living room. Whatever happened next would prove that everything she knew would never go back to how it was. Noriko might not see this apartment again either.

"Goodbye," she whispered. Then she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

Noriko had no direction in mind. She just had to keep walking until she found him again. But she wouldn't be alone.

An icy breath started breathing down her neck. Her body started to tense up. Noriko took in slower breaths. The sound of wailing or laughing filled the air.

This was happening again.

Noriko turned her head against her better judgement. There was no one on the empty streets this early in the morning. No one that is except for a lone figure in the distance. Noriko took slow steps backwards. Only one name came out of her mouth.

"Isobe… Asuka…"

The figure slowly turned her head. She didn't move. She didn't need to move. There she was. That damned widow. She was the one who drove them to this. Noriko moved her hand to her chest.

"What do you want from me?" she asked. "Stay away from me. Stay away! Stay away!" There came the footsteps again. The widow was getting closer. She didn't have to move fast. It didn't look like she was moving at all. Noriko wanted to scream but no sound came out. This had happened before.

Suddenly, the widow stopped. Noriko's eyes widened. More and more memories pieced themselves together in her head. This woman was her end before.

"Please… don't kill me," Noriko murmured. "I have to find him again. So please… Spare me long enough to find him." The widow didn't speak. But Noriko knew that she had to move fast. There was only one place she had in mind to go.

Asuka remained standing as Noriko walked by.

* * *

-Aya-

Aya looked through her notes and smiled. Right now, it was noon. Twelve more hours to go. Her part in this game was starting. But the main role wasn't ready. Right now, she had to screen for blood knights. She and Kitano had been hard at work in this area. Between the two of them, they have five candidates on their hands. They had one more in-training. (So far, that part was going well.) They had to put that on hold until that final gate was found. After tonight, it would be business as usual for her.

Aya's phone buzzed on her desk.

"Hello?" she asked.

"How are you doing on your end?" Kitano asked. The therapist became flustered but managed to straighten herself up.

"I am just about done with my notes," Aya said. "I'm about to head over to the hospital to check on the vessel."

"Good, good, good," the older therapist said.

"How about you?" Aya asked. "Are you players just about gathered? Who is going to be the fourth?"

"I am still working on that," Kitano said. "Right now, we need to focus on the opening the gate. I will need you to drop something off at the hospital for Etsuko-sensei."

"What would that be?" she asked.

"Can you come by the office and pick it up?" he asked.

"Sure," Aya said. "I will be down there in twenty minutes." She hung with a catlike smile on her face. In her mind, she had what she was going to do tomorrow. One particular candidate stood out in her mind.

Once she was satisfied with her notes, Aya closed up the folder and packed up her things for the day. She had a short delivery to make.

* * *

-Mikado-

Mikado sat in front of his computer as it booted up. Already, he had one message in the right-hand corner of the screen. Just by looking at the username told him who this was. He clicked on the blinking box.

"Daniel wants to chat with you."

Daniel. That username seemed so familiar. Mikado tried to look up name before. The only luck he had was one profile on 2-Chan and that was marked private. Somehow, Daniel was the who reached out to him.

It started with attached document with a list of names. None of them were in Japanese. Still, these names started to ring a bell to the tadpole.

Jessie Goodwin

Lisette Cardin

Stripe

Those three stood out to him. Somehow, they might have helped him along at some point in the past. But who was "Daniel"? There would be two more times before this point that Daniel would try and contact him. Well, not so much contact him as much as send Mikado attached document. The second one was just a list of dates with no context. The last one was of a map of Germany. For weeks, Mikado tried to put the pieces together. He did track down Jessie Goodwin all the way in Seattle, Washington. She seemed too young to talk to at the moment. The other two were too hard to trace currently. Mikado set his mind on the dates in the second file.

Today's message proved to be more urgent.

Mikado clicked on accepted. Instead of an attached file, there was only one sentence on the message.

"Hurry and get down to Raira Academy before midnight!"

That message stirred something in Mikado's mind. He grabbed his phone as it started to buzz.

"Kida-kun?" the tadpole boy asked.

"Did you get it too?" Masaomi asked.

"Yeah," Mikado said. "Where are you now?"

"I'm heading to the school now," the Yellow Scarves' shogun said. Mikado rose to his feet.

"I will meet you right there!" he said. The tadpole hung up and ran out the door. He didn't notice that more messages started to appear on his computer screen.

* * *

-Trap-

Lucy had been holed up in a hotel room. She had planned to ride out the day and then escape to parts unknown. Harley would call and check in every hour. The nightcomer was about to fall asleep when her phone rang.

"Hello?" Lucy asked.

"Hey ya!" Harley shouted on the other line. The nightcomer had to hold the phone away from her ear.

"Hi, Harley," she said, frowning.

"You still alive?" the possessed woman asked.

"Of course I am," Lucy said. "What do you think?"

"Hey, you don't know these days. You could be dead and I wouldn't know it."

The nightcomer rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm still alive."

"I can hear that. You need anything?"

"No. I'm good."

"You sure?"

Lucy laid back onto her bed. "Yeah."

"Okay. I'll call you later." Harley giggled as she hung up. Lucy made a face as she looked at her phone. What was with that woman? Reminded of Hecate in a sense. Lucy shivered at the image of her sister in her head. Harley wasn't really her first choice but this would have to do for the day. Lucy turned off her phone screen and closed her eyes for a nap.

Hours later, a soft humming filled her ears. Lucy sat up as if in a daze. Her eyes looked so empty as she rose to her feet. She walked over to the door and disappeared outside. The nightcomer followed the sound of gentle singing. Small red lights floated around her head but she didn't see them. There were probably people calling out to her but Lucy didn't hear them.

_What is this?_

Her mind seemed to be miles away. The nightcomer's body moved on its own. Even the warm summer air around her didn't faze her.

It would take a loud slamming down to snap her out of it. Lucy looked around. She could only see darkness around her. The nightcomer covered her nose as she noticed a musty smell around her.

"What the fuck?" she asked. Lucy then noticed old gym equipment and cleaning supplies on many selves. Rags hung from the ceiling. She noticed an old desk sitting in the corner. Lucy's eyes widened as the realization hit her in the face.

"No…" she murmured. Suddenly another whisper filled her ears. The voice sounded like her own mother.

_You cannot escape your fate._

* * *

-Purgatory-

Vanessa and everyone from Purgatory had been circled around the circle since three in the morning. Miiko cocked her gun. She had been itching to use this in every loop. The receptionist even went out of her way to get out the special bullets. Her finger caressed her trigger. A hand rested on her shoulder. Miiko turned her head. Cheri gave her a little smile. The receptionist relaxed.

"What time do we attack?" a man dressed in a fancy Victorian-style suit asked behind Vanessa. The manager had a serious look on her face.

"We have to stop them before midnight," she said.

"Tell me again why we can't just destroy the gate again," Cheri said.

"It doesn't work that way," Vanessa said. "That would take up too much power just to destroy one gate. We would risk causing the Living World to collapse."

"Uh-huh," Cheri said in a flat tone.

"Shhh, there's someone coming," Fuyuko whispered. Everyone looked down from the trees. They spotted Michiko running up to the gate. Vanessa smiled to herself.

"Hello, Michiko-san!" she shouted. The young girl stopped in her tracks, panting. She looked up, wide-eyed. Vanessa jumped down in front of her.

"Who are you?" Michiko asked. The manager calmly held out her hand.

"My people and I are here to help you," she said. "The other two and the nightcomer are already inside." The young girl covered her mouth.

"No…" she murmured.

"It's okay," Vanessa said in a low voice. "There is still time. Come with us." Michiko slowly nodded as she was trembling. The manager had to grab her hand and vanish with her. The rest of Purgatory disappeared with her.

Meanwhile inside, Lucy tried to move her feet from the spot to be sacrificed but they wouldn't move.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" she shouted. But then, the nightcomer froze when she heard laughter behind her. Against her better judgement, Lucy turned her head. Hecate stepped out of the shadows with a knife in her hand. Yui and Yuzuru followed behind her. Lucy gritted her teeth.

"You did this!" she snapped. Hecate smirked at her like a hungry cat.

"Hey, we are doing what we have to do here," she said. "And besides…" The older sister twirled the knife in her hand.

"You cannot escape your fate," she said. Lucy growled as she tried to free herself again in vain. Hecate could only smirk at her struggles. But then, she frowned.

"Who's there?" she asked as she whipped around. Michiko, Makoto, Noriko, and the Purgatory crew walked into the basement. Hecate threw back her head and rolled her eyes.

"You again?" she asked. "Why don't you just give up already? It's too late. You can't stop what is already in motion!" Michiko gritted her teeth.

"I will not let you open that gate!" she screamed. The young girl ran forward, screaming. The older nightcomer shook her head.

"My, my, my," she said. Hecate waved her free hand in the arm and began to chant. Particles of dust started falling from the sky and taking shape.

"Not this again!" Naho shouted. Miiko aimed her gun. Fifty dust monsters became solid.

"Go!" Hecate shouted. The monsters rushed forward in an attack. Both sides broken down into battle. Michiko tried to push the monster aside to get to Hecate. The nightcomer just stood there with her infamous smirk. Her eyes seemed to be laughing at her. No more, Michiko decided. This cycle had to end one way or another. Hecate made it over to her sister. She raised her knife above her head.

Bang!

* * *

-Nightfall-

"Hello?" Kitano asked. "Are you still there? Hello? Hello?" Mikage quickly picked up the phone.

"What did you do with Izaya?!" she demanded.

"Oh, nothing," the therapist said. "He's just in jail at the moment. Don't worry, he will probably be released by morning."

"Why is he in jail?!" the martial artist asked.

"I just needed him out of the way long enough," Kitano said.

"For what?" Mikage asked.

"Look out the window," he said.

"Huh?" she asked. Mikage walked over to the window for a look. Suddenly, the ground started to shake. This shaking was so bad that she thought the city was in the middle of an earthquake.

"What the hell is happening?!" she yelled. The shaking stopped as soon as it started.

"Welcome to the new dawn," Kitano said. He hung up before she had a chance to speak.

* * *

"No!" Michiko cried when she stood up and looked behind her.

The dust monsters fell to the ground. Everyone looked up in silence. Miiko dropped her gun in silence. Hecate smirked at the end results. Lucy's body lay slumped on the floor with a bullet hole to the head. Her blood ran out everywhere on the invisible lines of the final gate.


End file.
